Pharmacy one brochure - October 2016

Project Partner

Mudieb Haddad & Sons Co.

The CVS of the

Middle East

The CVS of the

Middle East Written by Nell Walker Produced by Dennis Morales

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PHARMACY ONE

Pharmacy One’s founder and President, Amjad Aryan, discusses the inherent challenges and subsequent success of Jordan’s first chain pharmacy

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harmacy One holds the significant title of being the first chain retail pharmacy in Jordan, boasting 75 locations over just 15 years. Amjad Ayran, the company’s founder and President, grew and nurtured Pharmacy One from nothing and has his early work experience in the sector to thank for the entrepreneurial spirit which spawned his own company.

“I’m a pharmacist by profession,” Aryan says. “I worked multiple jobs before starting at pharmacist school in Boston at the late age of 24, and while studying I worked for CVS. So by the time I graduated, I had five years of pharmaceutical experience. I decided that if I couldn’t build a new CVS of the US, why not build the CVS of the Middle East? It made sense to become a big fish in a small market.”

Building a business Aryan started his business with just $200,000 and a vision to open 10 pharmacies. In 2001, he took this concept to Jordan and built what he calls the “pilot branch”.

“I wanted to make sure the consumers understood and appreciated the big drug store concept,” he explains.

“This is a pharmacy where you can browse the shopping court as well as picking up prescriptions, and I wanted

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people to acknowledge the quality stores while working on perfecting of service. Then they would go out his business processes until 2005. of their way to receive that quality “During that time I was building the again, and there would always be a platform for the expansion, by which I pharmacist who could counsel them mean IT systems, trading procedures, on their medication, that would show personnel, and so on. I spent four years them how to use the medication, building that platform, and once it was and be readily available to serve.” ready, I started expanding at a rate The customer proved far of 12 new branches per year. easier to convince than “No one had done the authorities. Aryan this before so it was faced an uphill battle challenging. The against the Jordanian consumer accepted Pharmaceutical it and loved the Association idea of having The year that in attempting pharmacies with Pharmacy One to convince the the same name, with was founded historically conservative consistent availability organisation to allow of products, consistent an outsider to promote chain quality of service, and the pharmacies. Other pharmacies in ability to access the same records at Jordan are, in Aryan’s words, “mom any branch. The smaller competitors, and pop shops” and there were no threatened by the introduction of a chains despite the fact that the law big chain, began improving their own allowed them. Prior to Aryan’s arrival, quality of service; I would say we’ve that law had never been implemented. raised the bar for pharmaceutical By 2003 he had managed to open care in Jordan as a result.” the second branch of Pharmacy One, and remained with just the two Technological needs

2001

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Pharmacy Ones’s IT system was enormously important. It had to sufficiently support the customer, the company, and the community at large.

Doctors and patients alike would need to be able to easily use the patient record software, and the records had to be extremely secure. A program to deal with Pharmacy One’s logistical needs was also required; the company has around 350 different suppliers, and the software orders medications automatically from the central warehouse when required, avoiding out-of-stock situations. In Aryan’s words, “inventory control is key”.

Aryan decided early on that he didn’t want to compete with his suppliers, but for them to complement each other.

“We’re retailers, not agents or importers. It was a big fear that another big pharmaceutical company would come in and within a short time control a huge percentage of the market, join other agencies, and become agents for everything in Jordan. I took it upon myself to be the best retailer possible, and as I’m not in the business of importing medications or mass distribution to pharmacies, that really gives our suppliers comfort that after 15 years

“I am example of someone who came in as an unknown and was able to do something special” – Dr. Amjad Al Aryan, President & Founder

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we don’t want to compete with them.”

The company’s IT system is very advanced for the Middle East, to the extent that multinational companies contact Pharmacy One directly wanting to use its data to better understand the market. According to Aryan, “beautiful things come out of those relationships”. Jordan’s emergency services number is now connected to Pharmacy One Drug and Poison center, and calls that are made which refer to medication or other relevant products will be directed to Pharmacy One, where a specialist can aid the patient.

Other services, like sign language

translation, have been launched at some Pharmacy One branches along with a 24 hour video calling service. Both are intended to ease communication for the hearing impaired and enable all to take advantage of Pharmacy One services.

Medication instruction stickers printed with Braille are available at all branches.

Through different departments led by team of professionals, Pharmacy One has managed to set new pharmaceutical standards in Jordan and the Middle East. An automated inventory and ordering solution has been developed to manage stock refill

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PHARMACY ONE

and distribution to all branches, innovating new ideas to creatively introduce, expose, and provide different and new services. These are standardised to maintain product variety, mix and increase brands, and allow product visibility to become a standard and ongoing procedure.

Pharmacy One also makes sure to continuously pay back to the Jordanian society through social responsibility projects and offerings, such as performing health service days, providing training and scholarships, supporting projects that help people in need, improving life for youths, and empowering women. Aryan is proud to add that “50 percent of Pharmacy One staff are female.”

“If I couldn’t build a new CVS of the US, why not build the CVS of the Middle East? It made sense to become a big fish in a small market” – Dr. Amjad Al Aryan, President & Founder Expansion While Aryan wishes to expand further into the Middle East, the process is complicated. “Laws here differ from one country to another,” he explains. “It’s not like in the US where federal law applies in all states. For example Saudi Arabia does not allow ownership of pharmacies for non-Saudi nationals, and UAE only allows 50 percent ownership to foreigners. It’s complicated and presents a huge challenge. So we decided to expand differently by giving franchises to Pharmacy One rather than owning branches. We can give the franchise to companies who

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PHARMACY ONE

From Right to Left: Dr. Laral Al Abasi - Senior VP Internal Control, Mr. Farah Barghout - VP Administration , Mr. Mutaz T. Bseiso - Senior VP Innovation & Communications, Dr. Yousef Fanous - Chief Executive Office, Dr. Ezz Eldin Al Aryan - Chairman, Dr. Amjad Al Aryan - President & Founder, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim - VP Supply Chain , Mr. Rani Abu Taha - Senior VP Retail Pharmacy Operations, Dr. Amani Abu Hilal - Senior VP Marketing & Merchandising

• Strong reputation in the market ranked within the top drug stores in Jordan.

• Dedicated resources (100%) • Total Infrastructure support.

• Expertise management and principals support.

• Highly qualified and trained staff.

Karmel Drugs House, 17 Abdulla Ghousheh Street, 7th Circle - Jabal, Amman Tel: +962 6 5826816

want it in different countries and we can expand accordingly. One place where we can expand into, however, is Palestine, which has very similar laws and consumer behaviors to Jordan.”

As an entrepreneur – one who has won various Entrepreneur of The Year awards, at that – Aryan believes firmly in the power of persistence and resilience, and that his experience in the working world prior to and during his pharmacy education made him the man he is today.

“There is a feeling in Jordan that you

have to be well-connected to succeed in business,” he says. “I am example of someone who came in as an unknown and was able to do something special.

That’s the advice I want to give people from all parts of the world. Don’t listen to naysayers, believe in the power of ‘I can’, focus on what you can do, and ignore negative people.”

Aryan has his team and Pharmacy One’s location to thank for a great deal of the company’s success. He stresses the importance of having an excellent team, and choosing wisely

when picking a place to start from: “I advise a lot of people who want to be the best in whatever sector of business they choose to come to Jordan,” Aryan concludes, “because they won’t be dealing with only the 10 million people who live here, but huge markets, smart people, and keen college graduates who can help them achieve their goals. Jordan is a great place to live and if I had to do it all over again, I’d still start from Jordan.”

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Pharmacy One HQ building 106, Zahran Street, Amman, Jordan Tel: +962 6 5909400 www.pharmacy-1.com