Five questions about the present and future of Newpharma

Online pharmacy Newpharma is one of the youngest additions to the group, and at the same time one of the most dynamic. It continues to grow solidly and sees opportunities at home and abroad.

What exactly does Newpharma do?

Newpharma is a pharmacy webshop that became the largest Belgian online pharmacy in 2009, with more than 45,000 over-the-counter products from roughly 1,700 brands at affordable prices. The range includes pharmacy and parapharmacy products in categories such as beauty and cosmetics, baby and maternity care, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, as well as first aid, home care and animals. Newpharma has a network of 2,000 pick-up points in Belgium, including 400 Colruyt and OKay stores. Of course, the webshop also makes home deliveries. Any orders before noon are delivered within 24 hours.

How does this activity fit into the group?

Towards the end of 2017, Colruyt family holding Korys became Newpharma's majority shareholder. Colruyt Group acquired a 26 % stake and increased it to 61 % in July 2021. The company is an integral part of the group now, which means all workers are full colleagues. Newpharma - like fitness chain Jims and SmartWithFood - is part of our strategic pillar 'Health'. The aim is to make access to preventive healthcare easier and contribute to everyone's well-being and health. The digital pharmacy is well integrated in the group: it fills the parapharmacy shelves of Colruyt and OKay and also supplies Dreambaby.

What services can customers expect?

The formula is a reference in terms of online sales and guarantees product safety and quality, as all products come from official distribution networks. Newpharma also wants to excel in advice and information. For instance, a team of 12 pharmacists screens orders, to give advice on ordered products and combinations with previous purchases. With the 'Skin Analysis' tool, customers are able to determine their skin type free of charge and find the right products for it. Clear and detailed product info, as well as numerous reviews are available online. The customer service is available every working day by email and pharmacists via the chat function.

How is Newpharma preparing for the future?

Newpharma currently has about 300 workers and 4.7 million unique customers, 1.4 million of which in Belgium. For further growth, the pharmacy is focused on Belgium, France (where it is the e-pharmacy market leader) and Switzerland, where prescription drugs can also be sold online. Newpharma is also closely monitoring the Dutch market and aligning assortments, pricing and promotional policies to specific countries. At the end of 2021, a brand-new distribution centre became operational in Wandre near Liège. With a floor area of 20,000 m2 and a capacity to expand to 50,000 m2 in the long term, there is ample room for growth.

Is Newpharma also investing in automation?

The new distribution centre is partly automated: approximately thirty robots take care of about a quarter of the order picking, reducing the error margin to almost zero. They work according to the goods-to-men principle and bring the mobile aisles to the workers. The technology combines efficiency and ergonomics and comes from French robotics specialist Scallog, of which Colruyt Group is a shareholder. Our Smart Technics innovation hub integrated the robots into the logistics flow. The building itself is also future-proof, including a large solar installation and a rainwater recovery system that also feeds the cooling system.

Three questions for Virginie Goossens, Bio-Planet Marketing communication team manager

Renewed car park and water purification at Wilgenveld

Bio-Planet opts for a digital-only folder as from 2023. Why?

Virginie • “We're a sustainable supermarket. It's a logical and future-oriented step toward paperless communication. And it saves a lot on printing and postage. In fact, Bio-Planet is the first supermarket within the group to switch to an exclusively digital folder. That fits our pioneering role perfectly. An added advantage is that the time to produce the digital folder is shorter. This allows us to make quick decisions on last-minute promos or brand-new products.”

What exactly will change for customers?

“Customers will no longer receive a paper folder: instead, a monthly mail is sent out with special offers and a direct link to the folder. This digital folder can also be found on bioplanet.be. It now contains even more info and inspiration than the paper version. You can click on products, for instance, to find fun tips, useful recipes or interesting supplier reports.”

Did customers easily accept this?

“Two out of three customers who received our printed folder had already signed up for the digital folder by mail. In others words, they were ready for it. We also launched a major information campaign to allow all customers to switch seamlessly: in our end-of-year folder, direct mailing, in-store communications, ads on social media, etc. At a later date, small competitions will be organised where customers can win a prize by clicking on their favourite recipe, for example. This is how we help them get more out of their folder. And let's not forget our store workers, who are the best ambassadors to inform customers about changes.”

The works at our Wilgenveld head office have been completed. The worn-out car park and sewer system were renewed with a view to the future and sustainability: the plants highlight (local) biodiversity, we laid wires to be able to install charging stations later, and waste and rainwater are now collected and transported to our new water treatment plant. The most impressive new feature is the gigantic 550 m3 underground water tank that stores the water from that water treatment plant. Thanks to the works, after distribution centre Dassenveld and the Elbeek site, the Wilgenveld site is also fully connected to our own water treatment plant at Dassenveld, which we commissioned at the end of 2021. This is good news as the three sites together account for a quarter of our total water consumption. Annually, the plant is able to purify 90,000 m3 of waste water into process and drinking water. This enables us to consume 90 % less tap water at our central sites in Halle. By treating waste and rain water ourselves, we return it to the cycle and are able to reuse it without having to rely on 'new' tap water.

Idea Developed Thanks To Idnet

Via colruyt.be to other webshops

Besides the offer in our stores, we also offer our customers a wide range through our webshops. Collect&Go, of course. But also through the sites of Klassewijnen, Sterkedranken and the Colruyt butcher's. Those webshops were already on the Colruyt site, of course. But why not provide a place for Colruyt Group's other webshops? We are a company, aren't we? And you can also pick up your reservations at Colruyt. Stéphan Dessy had this idea too. He sent his suggestion to IDnet. Successfully so! Because now you'll also find the webshops of Dreamland, Dreambaby, Newpharma, MyComfort24, Bike Republic and Colruyt Group Academy on colruyt.be.