Page 136 - RusRPTSept21

9.1.13 Other sector news
Despite the high base of the first wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, the turnover of Russian pharmacies in 1H21 remained almost flat year on year at RUB552bn ($7.6bn), Kommersant daily reported citing the data from DSM Group and RNC Pharma. While in 1Q21 sales in pharmacies declined by 10% y/y, the growth bounced back in 2Q21 with the new wave of COVID-19 (up by 5% in April and 10% in May and June). The sales were maintained also despite a growth in prices. As followed by bne IntelliNews, the sales in the pharmacy segment are in focus due to consumers moving online. To remind, in May 2020 the Russian government provided a list of rules and licensing for the online sale of OTC medicines, facilitating the development of pharmaceutical e-retailing. A number of large retail and e-commerce players announced moving into the segment. It is estimated that online orders currently account for 9% of the market, with some large pharmacy chains posting up to 50% growth in e-commerce in June.
136 RUSSIA Country Report September 2021 www.intellinews.com