Dr.Max Group to buy Gedeon Richter’s Romanian pharmacy chain and distribution unit

The deal was signed on October 20 and remains subject to clearance by the Romanian anti-trust authority, Wolf Theiss stated in a press release.

“With the acquisition of Gedeon Richter’s retail and distribution operations in Romania, Dr.Max further reinforces its leading position as an omnichannel retail pharma provider in Romania. This transaction is also a clear sign of confidence in the Romanian market and our strategy aims to continue strengthening our position in the CEE region," Gabriel Ianculescu, M&A Director of Dr.Max Romania was quoted as saying.

Dr.Max is Central Europe’s biggest pharmacy chain, present in eight European countries and numbering roughly 2,300 pharmacies, over 650 of which are in Romania alone.

In December 2017, Dr.Max Group signed an agreement to buy Romania’s largest pharmaceutical group A&D Pharma, owner of Sensiblu and Punkt pharmacy chains, who, after becoming a Dr.Max Group subsidiary, finalised the acquisition of 46 Belladonna pharmacies in 2019.

Gideon Richter is the largest producer of pharmaceuticals in Hungary and operates as a vertically integrated pharma player in Romania, covering manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations.