A new study conducted by Coface on the sector of ”Retail with Pharmaceutical Products in Specialized Stores” (NACE 4773) indicates a positive evolution of revenues in 2019, which increased by approximately 8% compared to 2018, with a slightly higher profitability.
The study aggregated the data of 3,999 companies that submitted their financial situation for 2019 (as of September 2020) and generated a consolidated turnover of 20.6 billion RON.
The weight of the cumulative market share held by the most important 10 players is 33%, which indicates a low degree of concentration.
The companies operating in this sector registered a current liquidity of 1.12 during 2019, the working capital being exposed to negative shocks, in a context of volatility (lower revenues or non-collection of receivables).
The average duration of debt collection in the analyzed sector increased from 62 days, the level registered in 2015, to 75 days in 2019, while the national level for the same period dropped from 98 days to 89 days.
According to INSSE, the average monthly expenses allocated for the purchase of medicines for human use increased by 14% in the first two quarters of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
For example, if in Q1 2019, a Romanian allocated approximately 76 RON per month for purchasing medicines, the amount increased to 88 RON in Q1 2020.
From the perspective of pharmaceutical units, the largest number of pharmacies (1,236 ~ 15%) was found in 2019 in the North-East Region (Bacău, Botoșani, Iași, Neamț, Suceava and Vaslui).
At the opposite pole was the West Region with 684 pharmacies.
The trade balance for pharmaceuticals is negative, with imports more than four times the value of exports.
Both have been slightly increasing in the last 3 years, the main partner for both exports and imports being the European Union with 71% of the value of exports, respectively 91% of the value of imports having the EU countries as destination/source.
