Celesio, Phoenix To Merge Activities In Dutch Pharma Market

Brocacef holds stakes in companies from the field of homecare, blistering, formulation and the distribution of non-prescription products with total revenues of around EUR1b.

In turn, Celesio receives a 45% stake in the Brocacef Holding, under whose umbrella Lloyds Nederland will be merged with the Brocacef subsidiary Escura Apotheken.

The Brocacef joint venture will have more than 1,600 employees after the merger and is expected to generate revenues in excess of EUR1.1b. Frank Große-Natrop (CEO) and Johan Eeken (CFO) will continue to manage the company. They will be joined by Bart Tolhuisen, who will be responsible for the retail business. Mr Tolhuisen is currently MD of the Celesio subsidiary Lloyds Apotheken.

Fritz Oesterle, CEO of Celesio, said: “Celesio and Phoenix will significantly improve their service portfolio and performance without additional capital investments. This makes them a strong partner for all customers and market participants. The new joint venture will be able to better and more comprehensively react to the increasing demands in all healthcare areas.

“Not least, the merger will leverage considerable synergies, for example by bundling purchasing activities, a stronger integration of processes and activities along the value chain as well as in administration. This long-term partnership sets the right course for remaining competitive and successful in the Dutch market in future.”

The merger now needs to be approved, amongst others, by the anti-trust authorities. The merger does not affect the Dutch Celesio companies Apotheek DocMorris, Movianto Nederland and Celesio Finance.