It’s 7:30 am on a Saturday, you and your family have just hit Thika Road on your way upcountry. You’re on a tight schedule and miraculously everybody was ready and you managed to leave on time. Suddenly you realize you forgot to pack some essentials; the Deep Heat for the aching muscles in your left foot and even more importantly, your spouse’s One Touch to monitor blood glucose levels. You’re reluctant to stop at a mall to hunt for these items, as that will take too long but what are your other options?

The Goodlife Pharmacy at Shell Petrol station opposite Garden City Mall provides a quick alternative. In keeping with the company’s ethos of understanding individual customer needs and providing the best solutions, Goodlife has recently added this convenience model to their repertoire with the aim of providing a quick-stop solution to customer needs. Open from 7 am to 10 pm Mon – Sat and 10am – 10pm on Sundays and public holiday, the outlet sits in a 32 m2 container that took 4 weeks to build from the ground up. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the set-up though, Goodlife has not compromised on the services that put them above their competitors such as global quality customer services and high quality products.

The store is extremely organized with friendly welcoming staff ready to help you. As with their mall locations, the drop-in model has a wide array of competitively priced products from dietary supplements and minor ailment treatments to smoking cessation aids. Most conveniently, you can pick up a number of specialist items such as blood pressure and blood glucose devices.

But what really sets this store apart from other gas station pharmacies is the consultation services offered. Goodlife has trained their pharmacy staff to be experts capable of providing accurate health care advice. A comfortable and private consultation room is set aside in the drop-in container and allow customers to get services from a specialized professional such as malarial prophylaxis testing and treatment, blood pressure testing and weight management. Additionally, a personalized medicine use review can be done to ensure proper drug combinations, right does schedule and advice on possible side effects to reduce the chances of you taking the wrong medication and ensure you peace of mind.

This Drop-In on Thika Road is the first of four that will be set-up this year as part of Goodlife’s partnership with key fuel providers; Shell, KenolKobil among others. Goodlife works in conjunction with the oil companies to indentify the most appropriate location within the forecourt to place the drop-in outlets. In the event there is no readily available retail space, the small format model means the pharmacy chain can build a container and set up shop in a relatively short amount of time.

Other locations for convenience stores will include Athi River, Tegemeo on Waiyaki Way and Thindigura. This model will allow the company to expand business and penetrate low-income neighbourhoods. Increasing the number of stores they have in the region means Goodlife is better positioned to negotiate cheaper prices from pharmaceutical manufacturers explains Co-founder Josh Ruxin.

Goodlife Pharmacy, have spent over two years solidifying their foundations in the East African region and their efforts are paying off. With over 29 stores in Kenya, and 2 in Uganda, they have established a name for themselves and demonstrated their dedication to delivering trustworthy pharmaceutical services so that we can all “Start Living the Goodlife”.

 

Since opening its first outlet in Naivasha in 2015, the innovative healthcare retailer Goodlife Pharmacy has opened over 30 stores in the East African Region. Already the largest pharmaceutical retail business across East Africa, their rapid expansion continues having recently acquired four pharmacies in Nairobi and three in Mombasa.

The new acquisitions in Nairobi are located in Westlands, Valley Arcade and Nakumatt Highridge. The outlets are strategically located in shopping malls and high-traffic areas. The new premises are currently in a transitional phase with new systems being introduced and refitting taking place within the month. By the end of April the new branches will be up and running to the usual standards of the international brand.

Re-thinking Tradition

Despite Kenyans using pharmacies as a first point of care, traditionally they are used to a simple point of sale system: they come in, buy medications and leave. Goodlife has reshaped tradition by integrating pharmacy services with diagnostics, wellness and beauty to better serve their customers.

In addition to the consultation services they offer, they also use technology to provide convenient access to healthcare. When new customers use Goodlife, a digital patient record is created and securely stored in their system. This record includes the patient’s medical history and is available to attending consultants at each of their outlets, meaning customers can get personalised customer service at any Goodlife Pharmacy.

Out with the Old

Adhering to industry practices has been imperative to the Goodlife business model. In an industry where counterfeit medications are readily available, the chain has set strict measures to ensure the safety of their clients at all costs. Valid prescriptions are mandatory for all prescriptive medication to ensure the right drug is used to treat the right symptoms.

As health care providers, the Goodlife team understands seeing a doctor to get a prescription can be a taxing endeavor for many Kenyans; high consultation fees and doctor’s availability and time constraints are a number of the limitations. To provide a suitable solution, Goodlife partnered with telemedicine service provider, Daktari Africa to introduce “My Goodlife Daktari”, convenient face-to-face doctor consultations via video conferencing.

The leading-edge service is easily accessed through a quick and simple signup process. Once registered, patients are fully in control. They can choose a doctor from a wide range of specialisations, confirm their credentials, and input their own biodata all before placing a call.

“It’s really all about efficiency and affordability. It’s a faster, easier way to access a qualified doctor than a visit to the hospital,” explained Goodlife COO Peter Barker. “The less hassle for the patient to see the right doctor and get fast treatment, the better!”

The telemedical service works differently to their competitors because the system selects a pharmacy and locates doctors of all specialisations within a 2 – 4 km radius for online consultations. Therefore, in the case of physical referral, the patient can still see the same doctor they spoke to in person within a short walking/driving distance.

Tried and Tested

Taking over from previous pharmacies, Goodlife must incorporate some of the services available to customers prior to acquisition. For example, a number of the family owned pharmacies had lax credit terms as they knew most of their clients personally. Credit schemes will still be available at the new stores, however there will be an official process with the financial team at headquarters making the final decision on account openings.

As always, payments via M-pesa will be possible and above other pharmacies, so will Bonga points. With 10 points for 2sh, patients will be able to use their Safaricom loyalty points to purchase medication.

Furthermore, taking into account the concerns of their customers, Goodlife is developing the necessary systems to allow medications to be purchased under insurance in the near future.

Future Plans

The trusted brand with a social impact is well on their way to achieving the goal of opening over 100 stores by 2021. Extending their footprint in the region will not only create hundreds of jobs but will also improve access to affordable healthcare for millions of people.