Shop Apotheke Europe acquires Europa Apotheek

Shop Apotheke Europe has acquired mail-order pharmacy Europa Apotheek. Through this acquisition, Shop Apotheke wants to strengthen its European market leadership. The combination of prescription-free and prescription drugs is expected to create the largest and fastest-growing integrated online pharmacy of Europe.

Shop Apotheke Europe, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, announced yesterday it purchased Apotheek Venlo for 126 million euros. According to Pharmazeutische Zeitung, the competitor of Doc Morris plans to expand its position in the German market with this acquisition. Michael Köhler, CEO of Shop Apotheke, spoke of new growth opportunities and predicted that the company would be the largest online pharmacy in Europe.

Shop Apotheke Europe and Europa Apotheek

Shop Apotheke Europe and Europa Apotheek once belonged together. In 2009, Europa Apotheek Venlo acquired the online retailer Shop Apotheke, but in 2015 Shop Apotheke was disarmed again so it could concentrate on over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, while Europa Apotheek took over the prescription drug business.

Discounts on prescription drugs

In October last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that mail-order pharmacies based in other European countries are allowed to give discounts on prescription drugs. German pharmacies are forbidden to do this, so that’s why many customers in Germany are likely to buy their prescription drugs online.

‘Amazon wants Shop Apotheke’

Recently, there were some rumors about Amazon wanting to acquire Shop Apotheke.