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How to open a parapharmacy, process and advice
By Naturale Bio
How open a parapharmacy and why is it a great idea in 2022?
Health is a wonderful sector to work in, and a business that has been growing a lot in recent years. In fact, people are increasingly careful about what they eat and how to keep fit.
And we are not just talking about medicines and pharmacies in the strict sense but also, indeed, parapharmacies.
What is a parapharmacy and what is needed to open it
A parapharmacy is a point of sale that combines the skills and advantages of a pharmacy in a single facility, herbalist shop, perfumery, organic products and supplements shop and much more.
The range of products that can be sold there is therefore very varied. It ranges from over-the-counter medicines to food supplements, from cosmetics to natural products for sport or diet, but also phytotherapeutics,superfoods, functional foods and for intolerants, infusions and herbal teas, nutrition for newborns, personal hygiene products and objects related to everything mentioned so far.
There are different types, from independent ones to franchising ones, but how to open a parapharmacy? With what titles?
First of all, a lot depends on an upstream choice, i.e. whether you also want to sell self-medication medicines in your parapharmacy, i.e. those that do not require a medical prescription - those under prescription can only be purchased in the pharmacy. Or, if you want to sell only non-pharmaceutical products in the strict sense.
On this point, it is good to remember the legislation: according to the laws in force – the Bersani Decree of 2006 before and the Law Decree 201/2011 poi – the owner of the parapharmacy does not necessarily have to be a pharmacist, provided that within the parapharmacy, among the members or employees, there is a person registered in the Register of Pharmacists who acts as guarantor and responsible for the communication and traceability of drugs.
In addition to the necessary qualification, you will obviously have to complete the standard bureaucratic process, which includes:
- the opening of the VAT number.
- registration in the Company Register.
- the communication of the Start of Activity to your Municipality.
- the opening of the necessary positions at INPS and INAIL.
- permission to display the sign.
- for the sale of drugs you also need to register with the Ministry of Health, obtain the drug traceability code, obtain the title of person responsible for the communication and traceability of the drug and register with the Order of Pharmacists and the Medicines Agency.
- for the sale of functional and specific foods, for example for intolerances and newborns, a specific certificate will also be needed, a qualification for food marketing.
Advice and considerations to evaluate when opening a parapharmacy
Once the administrative and regulatory process has been separated, the operations must also be studied very carefully to make one's business effective.
Here are 5 essential themes for setting up a successful shop:
- Evaluate the right location, with good traffic and better if not too close to similar points of sale, such as pharmacies or herbalist shops already established in the area, to avoid the risk of competing too much.
- Choose the furnishings and the "personality" of your store. This aspect is much simplified for those who opt for a franchise, given that the basic furnishings are generally supplied by the owner.
- Select products and suppliers carefully. Making a timely one-to-one selection certainly brings great satisfaction and a very accurate and personalized range of references, while relying on a distributor can be excellent for optimizing time and invoicing.
- Think about what to give to your customers as an additional service to build their loyalty, for example personalized consultations or small periodic events to meet nutritionists or have cosmetic sessions.
- Also consider the idea of digitize your work, combining the physical store with an e-commerce.
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