Retail the Right Way
How Right Medicine make pharmacy retail count
Last month, Lucilia Evans, Category Manager at EMT Healthcare and I, joined Richard Stephenson, Director of Operations at Right Medicine, for a trip up to Scotland to spend time at the Right Medicine pharmacies to learn more about their approach to retail. Together we visited three very different branches, each with its own personality, community, and approach to retail.
It was a powerful reminder that pharmacy retail isn’t just “nice to have”, it’s becoming essential.
The 5% That Makes a Big Difference
The approach to retail varies from pharmacy to pharmacy, but we are big believers that, in the current funding climate, retail can have a huge impact on the revenue generated by pharmacies.
At Right Medicine, retail accounts for around 5% of total income, with the remaining 95% generated from prescriptions. But when you factor in the growing weight of overheads such as wages, utilities, operational costs, that small slice suddenly becomes a meaningful contributor to viability, especially when funding is getting tighter.
What we saw at Right Medicine reinforced this.
Retail done well moves the needle.
Three Pharmacies, Three Communities, Three Completely Different Retail Stories
Despite their differences, all three pharmacies had one thing in common:
A deep, intuitive understanding of their customers.
1. Grange Pharmacy — Value-Driven & Essential
Our first stop was at Grange Pharmacy in Edinburgh, which serves a diverse community where value is important. Here, we saw the importance of core ranges, affordable price points, and daily essentials. Despite budget pressures, they had a well-curated offer that met customers exactly where they were.
Creating space for patients and shoppers to dwell is also important, particularly while waiting for prescriptions, and well-stocked shelves that draw the eye to a coordinated collection of products is vital in retail to make those all-important sales.
2. Kings Road — Premium & Curated
This pharmacy is only situated just over the road from Grange Pharmacy and yet has a completely different feel, serving a community who demand a more high-end and niche product. This pharmacy, founded in heritage and with a highly discerning shopper entering their doors, know their demographic and are absolutely in tune with the type of brand and products that need to be available.
From heritage lux soaps to handmade Mason Pearson hairbrushes from value vitamins to vegan alternatives, the value created here is exclusively for this niche group of customers. Not everyone’s customer needs what Kings Pharmacy has to offer, but their customers absolutely do.
3. Haddington — Local, Practical & Community-Led
Our final destination was further out of town and served a wider demographic, including a more deprived community. Value-driven and essential items are necessary, however because of their location there was also the opportunity to offer more niche products from large jewellery ranges to a wonderfully unique standout: wool.
The local crafting community has few places to buy their supplies, and the pharmacy stepped in to fill the gap. It’s a perfect example of how pharmacies can build a niche by really listening to their local shoppers.
Across all three stores, the retail ranges were different, but the principle was the same:
Retail succeeds when it reflects the community it serves.
Merchandising Matters: Especially When Space Is Tight
Pharmacies rarely have the luxury of wide aisles or big FSDUs. That’s where smart, space-efficient merchandising becomes critical.
We saw brilliant examples of:
- Shelf-ready solutions that staff can replenish quickly, whether that is SRP's with boxed product that just needs the top ripping off before placement, or dedicated stands.
- Compact but impactful displays
- Clear shopper messaging without clutter
- Keeping retail categories together without fragmenting product ranges across the store.
- Retail zones that complement, not compete with, pharmacy services
These approaches free up staff to focus on what matters most, patient care, while still delivering a compelling retail experience.
The “Surprise” Bestsellers
Some of our favourite insights from the trip:
- Greeting cards outsold the bestselling paracetamol 2:1 , a perfect example of convenience retail in action.
- Jewellery consistently “flies out the door”.
- Trusted pharmacy environments mean customers browse more while waiting for scripts, Pharmacy First consultations, or other clinical services.
The message?
Don’t underestimate the power of convenience combined with trust.
Retail Isn’t Replacing Healthcare, It’s Supporting It
As pressures grow across the sector, retail becomes more than just an additional revenue stream. It helps sustain the services, staffing, and care that the community relies on.
At EMT Healthcare, these visits remind us why we do what we do:
to support pharmacies with products, merchandising solutions, and category insight that truly meet their customers’ needs.
A huge thank-you to the team at Right Medicine Pharmacy for their time, openness, and passion for community care.
If you'd like us to visit your pharmacy or explore how EMT Healthcare can help you optimise your retail offer, feel free to reach out. We are here to support you.
