Aster Pharmacy, the leading pharmacy chain in the UAE that is part of DM Healthcare, is all geared up to take part in Arab Health, which will be held in Dubai from January 24 to 27.
“We look forward to be part of Arab Health, the region’s premier healthcare exhibition. This year, we will be showcasing more than 20 brands at our booth (E10 in Hall 6) with Alfa One, the distribution arm of Aster Pharmacy,” says N.S. Balasubramanian, CEO of Aster Retail.
Alfa One is amongst the top Distributors of Leading brands in categories like Nutrition, Personal Care and Home Healthcare. The Exclusive distribution network covers key accounts in various channels - Pharmacies, Modern Trade and E Commerce Portals with some of globally renowned brands like Country life, Natures Answer and Probulin to name a few. Other popular brands distributed include Evoluderm, Thuasne, Lovea, Pharmaline, Naobay, Rossmax, Accurete. These Brands are from US and European countries including France, Germany Spain and Italy. We will be looking forward to meet with our Existing Partners in UAE and finding new customers in GCC and Middle East.”
Digital is the way forward to transform a retailer’s relationship with consumers
Arab Health, co-located with Medlab Middle East 2022, is the largest healthcare exhibition and congress in the MENA region. The event will attract global healthcare professionals and feature a range of scientific lectures, industry briefings, product demonstrations and networking opportunities. More 60,000 attendees are expected across the four days of both shows, with almost 4,000 exhibitors from the health care and laboratory industries have confirmed their attendance. More than 60 countries will be represented at the event which will have over 20 dedicated country pavilions, making the two events an authentic global health care showcase.
Franchise model
Being part of Arab Health is also important for the brand, according to Balasubramanian. “Arab Health has over the years become a top global trade show in healthcare and with Aster Pharmacy having a major presence in GCC markets and India, the show becomes an obvious and important platform for our brand,” says Balasubramanian.
“Apart from the many innovative products we are launching at this year’s show, we are also seeking cross-border expansions via our unique Franchise model.”
“This year technology, innovation and wellness will be at the forefront of Arab Health 2022. We are a regular participant at the annual trade event as it gives Aster Pharmacy a great opportunity to showcase our wide range of wellness products and services, and connect with potential customers in the UAE, GCC and the wider Middle East,” says Balasubramanian.
As part of this year’s edition, Aster Pharmacy also plans to showcase brands from in health and beauty space. Top among these is Naobay, which is an Ecocert Certified Organic Personal care company from Spain.
As governments across the world, including the UAE, continue to address the challenges posed by Covid-19, Aster Pharmacy plans to showcase products that can help the fight against the pandemic.
“In the current era of the pandemic, we are also showcasing a homegrown brand called Nano Seha, that brings alcohol-free Nanosilver-based sanitizers, which are made in the UAE by an innovative green technology and offering a greater protection,” says Balasubramanian.
“We are also proud to launch BioSepeedia lateral flow tests, made in France to detect Covid, which is best-in-class as it detects the Nucleocapsid protein and gives results in 15 minutes.”
Digital transformation
Aster Pharmacy’s participation in Arab Health also comes as leading health care providers view digital transformation to become more consumer-friendly, while simultaneously changing their operations, culture, and use of technology. The pandemic accelerated the convergence of several trends in the health care industry, particularly consumers prioritizing convenience and access to care. “Digital is the way forward to fundamentally transform retailer’s relationship with consumers,” says Balasubramanian. “Digital transformation among retailers is the key trend we are observing. Businesses, which can harmonize the need for speed with long-term strategic goals will be in a better position to succeed.”
“Forming partnerships and looking for new revenue models like subscriptions will be key to deliver a successful omnichannel experience. In healthcare retailing, we see consumers are increasingly shifting to wellness products that can help them achieve a higher state of physical and mental wellbeing. Categories within nutritional supplements like immunity boosters and Multivitamins have seen tremendous growth in the past two years.”
E-commerce plans
As part of its growth plans in 2022, Aster Pharmacy is targeting significant growth in its e-commerce business with www.asteronline.com. “Our digital and e-commerce plan is to make our rich inventory of over 25,000 products easily accessible to our customers at the click of a button.,” says Balasubramanian. “We are driven by the philosophy of ‘Healthiness is Happiness’, which is reflected in its efforts to make its health and wellness offerings easily available at the doorsteps of people in UAE.”
In October 2021, Aster Pharmacy was honored with the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Awards (SKEA) for its outstanding performance in the health sector. This is the second time they have won the award. Although the pandemic presented one of the toughest challenges, with its purpose to deliver good health and
happiness to all, Aster Pharmacy ensured that it maintained seamless operations and introduced innovative solutions to serve customers.
Along with its focus on e-commerce sales, Aster Pharmacy is also planning a robust pipeline of new concept brick-and-mortar stores in our
transformational journey to wellness, says Balasubramanian. “Accessibility, speed and a superior customer experience will be at the center of all our growth led decisions,” he says.
