Accelerated growth
71 stores were opened in 2016, double the preceding year
The year 2016 marked the birth of a new Extrafarma. In addition to the new visual identity, the sixth largest pharmacy chain in the country with more than 5.7 thousand employees revised its positioning in the market by establishing four major strategic initiatives.
The first is the differentiated shopping experience it offers customers. This follows a complete revamping of store processes with investments in a new, more modern store model, with improved illumination and lower gondolas making for better signaling and customer visualization of product categories.
The second strategic initiative is to improve operating excellence. This involved the launch of programs promoting gains in company-wide productivity, an example of which being the construction of a new more modern distribution center with greater storage capacity in the state of Pará.
Accelerated expansion is the network’s third strategic initiative. In 2016, 71 new stores were rolled out, double 2015, the company network closing the year with 315 units. Growth has also been geographic, the company making its debut in other states in the North and the Northeast such as Tocantins, Paraíba and Pernambuco as well as increasing the concentration of the footprint where Extrafarma already has a presence. An even greater growth rate is planned for the network in 2017.
Finally, people as a competitive differential: work on reinforcing leadership and teams was undertaken (read more) to ensure that the quality of service is maintained when set against a background of accelerated network growth.
Number of stores, Gross revenues and EBITDA
5.7 thousand
are employed at Extrafarma, Ultra’s largest business by employee numbers
With the change in visual identity, Clube Extrafarma was also relaunched with greater facilities in exchanging and/or options for redeeming points, thus enhancing the value with which the customers perceive the program. In December 2016, 8.6 million participated in the program. For every R$ 1 in purchases, the customer is entitled to one point - accumulated points which can be later exchanged for products, discounts, for Ipiranga’s Km de Vantagens or for points in another award program.
Support for local artists
In 2016, Extrafarma supported CowParade Belém 400 years in the state capital of Pará. With exhibits of 50 sculptures of cows by local artists, in its nine years, this was the first time the event had been held in northern Brazil. In addition to the cultural angle, the initiative also has a social bias given that amounts raised from the auction of the artists’ work will be given to institutions in Belém and chosen by Extrafarma.