According to a report at the online-portal ‚Apotheke ad hoc‘, the grocery discounter Aldi has been intensifying attempts to poach staff from companies like DocMorris and Vitalsana for months. Supposedly, there have also already been talks with service providers specializing in prescription management.
Commentary: Aldi is the latest company among an array of grocery retail competitors who would like to get involved in the business of selling pharmaceuticals. However, Aldi is also facing the challenge of how to integrate a pick-up counter into their store concept after the Federal High Court has decided that pharmacy and store business have to be recognizably separated from each other. Up to now, Aldi management had been of the opinion that one could not assume to accelerate the online distribution channel for pharmaceuticals any further. Karl Albrecht said that through expanding online selling, chain stores were possibly cannibalized. The management regime which succeeded the Aldi brothers, however, could change this focus in future. The question is, how fierce will be the competition for pharmaceuticals in the grocery retail sector in time to come?