Retail pharmacy competition is intensifying in South Africa as Dis-Chem and Clicks expand loyalty discounts and compete for prescription volumes. Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais also sees a longer-term threat from Shoprite, whose Checkers Sixty60 app already has millions of customers accustomed to ordering from their phones.
Morais expects Shoprite to add medicine delivery eventually. He says pharmacist sign-off requirements and Shoprite’s smaller pharmacy network limit its reach for now. Over the next two to three years, however, he sees scope for Sixty60 to take a share of over-the-counter and front-shop sales.