Dis-Chem opens its first franchised stores

2009/09/28

Dis-Chem, South Africa’s leading chain of discount pharmacy super stores is ready to roll-out its first three franchised stores – in Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth and East London.

These are the first of eleven successful entrepreneurs from around the country who have been selected to partner Dis-Chem in its expansion trail via the franchise route over the course of the next twelve months.

According to founders Ivan and Lynette Saltzman Dis-Chem, since it opened its first store in 1978, has been built on the ethos of old-fashioned family values. Their move into franchising will simply mean that like-minded franchisees will now be able to share in their vision and success. Says Ivan Saltzman, “we know that our success is largely due to the loyalty of the members of the Dis-Chem family, management and staff alike. Expansion, to date, has been largely curtailed by a shortage of experienced and committed managers and we had to seek new ways to attract the necessary talent.”

The concept of the owner-operator, a key element to the success of franchising, is what spurred Dis-Chem to look at this form of expansion. “As we grew, the concept of the ‘trusted local pharmacist that everyone knows’ was under pressure from the sheer volume of customer numbers and increased pace of modern-day living. We believe that, through the franchise model of owner-operators, we are evolving to the next level of customer service. By living by the Dis-Chem motto of ‘taking care of the customer and the business will take of us’, these new franchisees will add that much-needed personal touch that dove-tails with our caring attitude to the community at large through our customer Benefit Programme, and specifically through the social responsibility work done by the Dis-Chem Foundation.”

After many months of fine-tuning their franchise offering, identifying sites and screening potential franchisees, Dis-Chem welcomes the first three franchised stores to their stable of successful 37 company owned stores with another three opening by the end of 2009. The first franchise store that opened at the end of August was Dis-Chem in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, with two stores opening in the Eastern Cape, the first in East London opening at the end of September and another in Port Elizabeth later this year.

Riaan Horne, a pharmacist and his wife Veronica have the distinction of being the very first of Dis-Chem’s eleven designated franchisees to open their Dis-Chem’s franchise store in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Veronica had been working for Dis-Chem since her student days and met her husband Riaan when he too started working for Dis-Chem. “We have always had a passion for the company which has been so good to us over the years. It has been a dream of ours to own our own pharmacy and when the opportunity came along, we grabbed it with both hands.”

Lynette & Ivan Saltzman, who themselves as young pharmacists started the first Dis-Chem pharmacy in the south of Johannesburg in 1978, find it significant that the very first franchised Dis-Chem mirrors their journey’s start nearly 30 years ago. “Besides the fact that we are thrilled that it was through Dis-Chem that Riaan and Veronica met and married, comments Lynette Saltzman, “as a couple they also reflect our core ethics and have the required passion as owner-operators to not only make a success of the business but to carry through the good old-fashioned family values and compassion that are synonymous with the Dis-Chem brand.”

East London franchisee David Puttergill, a banker by profession whose family owns a pharmacy in Umtata, had heard of the phenomenon of Dis-Chem and arranged a trip to Johannesburg to ‘see what all the fuss was about’. “To say I was impressed would be an understatement and I will admit to being in awe of what had been achieved by this pharmacy group’ says David of his first impression of Dis-Chem. On hearing that Dis-Chem were looking for franchise candidates David jumped at the chance to secure the Dis-Chem franchise in the new Hemingways Mall in East London. “As I got to know more about this extraordinary group, I became more and more excited about introducing the tremendous service, value and product range that Dis-Chem has become synonymous with to East London and the greater Border area.”

Brett Muzzell, an entrepreneur from Port Elizabeth who will be opening Dis-Chem in Port Elizabeth later this year had been looking for some time for a good business opportunity. “The moment I heard that Dis-Chem was offering a joint venture model I jumped at the opportunity of partnering with such a progressive and successful brand.”

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