GlaxoSmithKline believes there is an £80 million opportunity that pharmacy can tap into in the OTC medicines market. The consumer healthcare giant told a press briefing last month it is investing “over £60 million” this year in its power brands including Voltarol, Nurses, Piri and Corsodyl.

“We have identified an £80 million growth opportunity for OTC medicines by maximising the potential of categories that aren’t performing as well in pharmacy,” says David Barnett (above), area general manager for northern Europe at GSK.

“With the Government already addressing the rising cost of healthcare in line with our ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, we firmly believe that pharmacy has a critical role to play in further relieving these pressures and is well positioned to enable this shift. GSK is absolutely committed to investing behind pharmacy and partnering together to implement solutions to prepare for the future.”

The company says it has put in place a number of steps to fully support pharmacy, including a ‘Pharmacy of the Future’ vision to help pharmacists future-proof their business and provide retailing insights from its “world leading” Shopper Science Lab.

“The marketing investment behind our power brands, over £60 million in 2017, provides a direct benefit to pharmacy, as these campaigns – for brands relevant to pharmacy such as Voltarol and Nurses – attract shoppers into pharmacy and help drive awareness and sales,” says Barnett.

“I believe we are at a tipping point and by working together with pharmacy we can raise the bar and create the right environment to drive better health for customers and patients.”

At the Numark convention in Cape Town earlier this year, David Healey, GSK pharmacy and drug controller, said only 18 per cent of shoppers enter the OTC aisles in pharmacy, 29 per cent walk away without buying a product and 40 per cent are unaware that stronger products are available behind the medicines counter. “Lack of product knowledge is limiting customer spend,” he warned.

Most people only take medicines as a last resort when they are ill, Mr Healey said. Encouraging impulse purchases and embedding customer behaviour in high-spend categories such as dry skin, NRT and sports nutrition are key to driving purchase frequency and growth in spend. Reflecting ‘illness-to-wellness’ on the fixture, removing duplication and providing education at the point of selection are also important, he said.