News

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?

This is a question to which you must understand the answer. With continuing volatile trading conditions, managing cash flow in the pharmacy is vital because external factors often restrict cash when it is most needed. The enormity of the 1 December 2013 price reductions on molecules in the dispensary were not felt until it came

MISSED OPPORTUNITY OR UPSIDE OPPORTUNITY?

The importance of margin in the retail area of pharmacy is often dismissed/ignored on the basis that the total store has remained profitable. Over the last decade there has been a proliferation of community pharmacies discounting retail products in the pursuit of customer growth.

CASHFLOW – THE LIFEBLOOD OF EVERY ORGANISATION

Some business owners believe if they are profitable they are on the road to riches. Unfortunately I have witnessed good profitable companies fail too often. The majority of these failures are due to either not understanding how their business decisions have impacted their cashflows or alternatively how to effectively manage their cashflow cycle.

THE INCREASING COST OF INVESTING

Over the last five years the financial performance of pharmacy has been subject to the following. Flat script growth; Loss of retail sales; Flat to declining retail margin; Loss of customers; A period of rising overheads, namely rent and wages.

FINANCIAL MARKETS UPDATE 2013

With Markets recently focusing on the expectation of the US Quantitative Easing (QE) Program being tapered back, we have experienced a steepening of the yield curve, with longer term Swap rates rising significantly. Under a scenario where QE in the US is ended, longer term yields are likely to rise even further. By way of

NEW CHANGES TO THE FAIR WORK ACT – FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES

The Fair Work Amendment Bill 2013 which was passed on 27 June 2013 has the effect of extending existing family friendly measures (‘the Amendments’) under Fair Work Act 2009 (‘the Act’). Pharmacy businesses should take particular note of these changes given that a significant proportion of a pharmacy’s employees will have or be expecting to

Keys For Acquisition

When purchasing a pharmacy, the buyer must consider several key aspects before making the final decision on the value that the business presents to them. Understanding these aspects and incorporating them into the purchase decision is fundamental to the long term viability of the pharmacy, especially in the current business environment.

PHARMACY VALUES

Retail pharmacy has become a very competitive environment which is unduly exposed to high rentals and threatened by a continual ratcheting of the PBS. Where will prices of pharmacy head in the future? Certainly there are unknowns that are difficult to factor in, but with the volume of loan delinquencies it will take banks sometime

SELL NOW OR WAIT?

Selling your pharmacy, which is often your largest asset and also perhaps even your retirement purse, is a very large decision. When is the time right for such a move? There are many considerations that go into the decision to divest interest in a pharmacy. One of the key ingredients is the prevailing market conditions