Recently, some individuals shared with the reporter from "Pharmaceutical Economics" that Guangzhou's Special Pharmacy has undergone a change in ownership and is planning to relocate. The store’s size has significantly decreased, turning it into a small neighborhood pharmacy. This development raises concerns, as this once-largest single-store pharmacy in the country now faces the possibility of disappearing entirely.
What exactly does “special big pharmacy†mean? Is it a pharmacy that is simply large, or one that is uniquely special? To better understand, we asked for some photos — when cheap pharmacies flooded the Guangzhou pharmaceutical market in 2003, local pharmacy representatives were curious about how big this “special†pharmacy actually was.
The original Special Pharmacy was located in Shahe Department Store, with five storefronts. It was said to occupy four floors, totaling 6,800 square meters — an impressive size at the time. But six years later, why has this once-famous pharmacy fallen so drastically?
Sudden Changes in Size and Status
To learn more about the current situation of the relocation, the reporter visited Xianlie East Road in Guangzhou, a bustling commercial street on the northeastern side of the city. On the same day, a shop across from the former pharmacy had partially moved, with its signboard almost completely removed. The color scheme and logo still resembled those of the Special Pharmacy. Inside, workers were busy renovating. From the reporter’s estimate, the space is around 300 square meters.
A clerk from the neighboring shoe store mentioned that they heard the Special Pharmacy was moving, but weren’t sure if it would actually happen. They also wondered if the name would change after the move. With such a small area left, how could the original owner possibly sustain the business? Since the previous owner hasn’t been seen at the store, internal staff don’t have clear information, leaving many questions unanswered.
The first floor of the building where the pharmacy is now located is currently rented out for jewelry, watches, and clothing. In the past, these stores had been replaced by smaller clothing shops, all marked with discount signs. Once, clerks would shout “Big Sale!†to passersby. To reach the Special Pharmacy, visitors must take an elevator to the second floor. There, an unobtrusive notice at the entrance reads: “Clearance of Daily Necessities.â€
The pharmacy is now only open on the second floor. Inside, the daily necessities section is completely empty, while the medicine and health product shelves remain neatly arranged. Only about ten customers are present, and the atmosphere is far from lively. A clerk told the reporter that due to management uncertainty, there were rumors of relocation, but later it was said the store wouldn’t move. As a result, the clearance sale had to be paused. The clerk clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of moving to a smaller space.
Over the years, news about the Special Pharmacy has been constant. It opened in May 2003 and immediately caught national attention. The following year, a branch in Wuyang New City opened. Soon after, rumors of three shareholders surfaced, which were later denied. By the end of the year, another branch in Xinshidian opened smoothly, each with a business area of 400-500 square meters. In October 2005, Lai Ruijin, a major investor from China Minsheng Fund, acquired shares from the other two shareholders, confirming the earlier rumors. However, by the end of 2005, the Wuyang New City branch was forced to close due to lease issues. Similarly, the Wuyang Xincheng branch closed in 2008 for the same reason. At that point, the number of Special Pharmacies dropped from three to one, with the main Xianlie East Road store shrinking from 6,800 to just 1,500 square meters. Plans for new openings were abandoned, and the owner has since relocated.
It is reported that the new owner of the Special Pharmacy is not from within the pharmaceutical industry, and may be involved in clothing. After the ownership change, the buildings where the pharmacies were located have been repurposed, leading to the scenes described at the beginning of this article.
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