Chemist Direct

Chemist Direct is a UK-based company providing medical products and services in addition to beauty products online. Founded in 2007 it is one of the companies that received investment from Atomico in 2013.^[1][2] The company is regarded as one of Europe’s leading online retail pharmaceutical companies that provides more than 25,000 health and beauty products and prescription medicines. Chemist Direct has been globally recognized for their high pharmaceutical standards, economical prices, speedy deliveries, and enormous product range .

Since inception, Chemist Direct has attracted more than 1 million customers because of the convenience of being able to find every family's needs on one website without the need to browse through others. The company has been featured on BBC and various other quality publications like The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Observer, etc.

In the previous year, £68bn was spent by British shoppers online and by 2016 the UK web economy is expected to be worth £221bn, according to the IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. Because of this fact, Chemist Direct expects to thrive even more in the years to come.

Overview

The foundation of the company was built on the concept that better product quality and a wider product range should be available all under one roof. Chemist Direct abides by the General Pharmaceutical Council's internet guidelines to develop these procedures and ensures that customers have a huge range of brands available to them that are good value to buy, simple to choose, and quick to arrive on their doorstep within 24 hours.

Chemist Direct has expanded dramatically since its early years. The company offers an extensive variety of key services that include pharmacy and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, health supplements, family planning and sexual well being products, perfumes, beauty products, toiletries, electrical items, pet health and care products, and baby care products. All Chemist Direct services are closely monitored by qualified pharmacists, who, as an added customer service, are available to discuss medical problems and symptoms through email or telephone.

History

Chemist Direct initially started in Westminster in 2007 and was launched by entrepreneur Mitesh Soma and his wife Krishna Soma, a UK registered Pharmacist. During its early days, the company started out with the primary goal of providing their customers with a wide range of products at discounted prices. At the beginning of 2008 Mitesh, his wife, and their team of four moved from Westminster to Leicester and began to expand the business and build a larger team.

A short while later, the persistence and hard work of the Chemist Direct team paid off and before the end of the year the company had a larger team to work with and was far surpassing the million pound mark. Mitesh continued to fund the business with any profits made and was soon able to establish a warehouse and a customer service department with different divisions. Less than eight months later, Mitesh was shortlisted for the finals of the 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

By 2009, Chemist Direct and its enterprising founder caught the attention of Atomico, the VC firm founded by Skype’s Niklas Zennström which specialises in technology investments. Impressed by the Chemist Direct model, the achievements so far, and the clear cut outline of where the company will be next, Atomico made an investment of £3m, thus allowing Chemist Direct to strengthen their team further and develop a wider product range.

By 2011, Mitesh Soma recruited Stuart Rowe, who previously had spent six years as the managing director of Play.com and before that the e-commerce director of HMV, to increase the business internationally as the chief executive of Chemist Direct. Stuart Rowe described Chemist Direct as being “sizeable business with real potential”.

Chemist Direct is now one of Europe's largest online chemists and has more than a million customers. To date, the company has over 50 staff members at its 10,000 square foot warehouse in Birmingham, as well as a professional team of pharmacists and product buyers. They have over 1 million customers and sell an excess of more than 20,000 products online. The company has also added numerous product ranges like nursery equipment, pet food, organic skincare, mother and baby products, sports supplements, grooming and healthcare products, electricals, and household cleaning products.

Although Chemist Direct has struck serious competition with companies like Boots and other High Street pharmacists, the company mantra of “great service, great value, and great product range” are sure to keep them in the league.

References

Mitesh Soma on setting up online pharmacy, ChemistDirect.co.uk http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/business_advice.php?AID=9848#.VH-LNDHF-xV

Interview: Mitesh Soma, founder of Chemist Direct http://startups.co.uk/chemistdirect-co-uk-mitesh-soma/