Sigma Healthcare has stated that a recent New South Wales court ruling regarding pharmacy ownership and Blooms the Chemist will not impact its Chemist Warehouse chain. The court sided with the state regulator in a dispute over the registration of a pharmacy trading under the Blooms brand, ruling that Blooms would have a financial interest in the pharmacy.
Sigma Healthcare is a full-line wholesale distributor to pharmacies, hospitals, and retail businesses. It also has an extensive pharmacy network. According to a Sigma Healthcare spokesman, pharmacy agreements are specific to each franchisee and franchisor. These agreements differ in nature and construction and are subject to review by regulators in each state.
The spokesman added that pharmacists operating under the Chemist Warehouse brand are still being granted licenses across all states. This indicates that Sigma Healthcare does not anticipate any disruptions to its Chemist Warehouse operations as a result of the NSW court’s decision.
The company believes that the structure of its agreements with pharmacists under the Chemist Warehouse banner differs sufficiently from the Blooms the Chemist arrangement to avoid similar regulatory challenges. Sigma Healthcare continues to operate its Chemist Warehouse pharmacies without anticipating changes due to the court ruling.
