Rowlands Pharmacy – Store Modernisation Program

Supporting Rowlands’ Store Modernisation Program

Rowlands Pharmacy, the UK’s longest-established chain of community pharmacies, operates over 450 branches nationwide. Committed to delivering exceptional customer service, Rowlands focuses on exceeding the healthcare and wellbeing needs of its patients.

In 2020, Rowlands embarked on a store modernisation program to refresh its estate with updated fixtures, enhanced ranges, and improved layouts. This initiative aimed to create a more contemporary and customer-friendly shopping experience across its branches.

The Challenge

To execute the ambitious store transformation, Rowlands Pharmacy required a merchandising partner capable of delivering high-quality results with minimal disruption to customers and staff. As the preferred merchandising partner, RAS was tasked with managing the merchandising elements of the program while coordinating with shop-fitting teams to ensure seamless execution during trading hours.

Our Approach

RAS began by collaborating with Rowlands’ Refit Change & Compliance Coordinator to create a comprehensive training and familiarisation guide for our experienced merchandisers. This guide ensured all team members understood the specific requirements of the project and were equipped to deliver consistent results.

Seamless In-Store Execution

RAS worked closely with CPR shop-fitters to provide uninterrupted merchandising support during trading hours. To minimise disruption, our teams focused on efficiency and precision while maintaining a positive experience for customers and staff.

Service components included:

• De-merchandising: Carefully recording, packaging, and removing old product lines.
• Enabling Works: Supporting shop-fitting and range updates by preparing spaces for new fixtures and layouts.
• Product Ordering: Identifying and ordering new product lines, as well as addressing any missing lines to ensure continuity in merchandising.
• Planogram Merchandising: Implementing updated layouts across the shop floor, counter, and P-Meds areas, including shelf-edge labeling, promotional bays, and impulse units.
• Point of Sale: Installing notice board literature and additional promotional materials to enhance in-store communication.

Real-Time Reporting and KPI Tracking

To ensure accountability and transparency, RAS implemented a real-time reporting system to capture and share images of completed activities, signed off by site representatives. This detailed and accurate reporting provided the Rowlands team with progress insights and KPI analysis.