Vitamin Shift to Pharmacy

Community pharmacy is seeing a significant increase in market share when it comes to sales of complementary medicines, according to a recent report from Roy Morgan Research.  Based on a poll of just over 15,000 Australians for the year ending 30 June 2015, the proportion of vitamin buyers making their products at supermarkets has fallen from 33% to 28%, due primarily to a drop in people purchasing these items from Woolworths/Safeway. 

The market share of health food stores also declined from 14% to 9%, with Roy Morgan noting the increasing tendency to purchase vitamins, minerals and supplements from a chemist - rising from 44% of all vitamin buyers in 2011 to 54% as of June 2015.  “Despite ongoing medical debate about whether vitamins actually work, an increasing number of Australians are buying them, with chemists their favourite place of purchase,” according to Roy Morgan gm consumer products, Andrew Price.  “Although there is no denying the convenience of picking up one’s vitamins at the supermarket with the rest of the groceries, the proportion of consumers doing this has declined in recent years”. 

Price said one factor could be the larger range of vitamins generally available in pharmacies.  The data revealed that women were far more likely than men to purchase complementary medicines, particularly females aged between 35 and 65.

Source:pharmacydaily.com.au, Wednesday 7 October 2015