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Profile
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3/9/2011
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Entrepreneurial pharmacy in action
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Since leaving Nairobi as a young boy seeking a better life, Pharmacy Business' Entrepreneur of the Year, Raj Aggarwal, has spent decades establishing himself as one of the most prominent figures in UK pharmacy, writes Neil Trainis...
“We thought we deserved it. We expected it in one form or another, so it didn't come as a surprise,” Raj Aggarwal says as he reflects on the Pharmacy Business Entrepreneur of the Year award he picked up at a lavish ceremony in October last year. The collective instantly burns through his reminiscences. He cares so much about satisfying his customers but is not shy in hailing the achievements of everyone at Central Pharmacy in Cardiff, which he has owned and run for the last 25 years. He does not regard himself as the quintessential entrepreneur. His success is everyone's success. “The roving judge (Richard King) complemented us strongly on how we operated the business,” Raj continues. “The service levels, the staff, the appearance of the place, the whole operation, he was just so upbeat. As soon as he entered the premises he said it had the 'wow factor.' He said the staff had good expertise, the place was immaculate and he was impressed by our professionalism. The whole place, he felt, was unique. The whole team is customer focused and set the standards. The benchmark is there. Everybody enjoys looking after their department.”
Central Pharmacy's retail outlet team contains 14 staff, some of whom have worked with him for all of his 25 years at the helm. “The average is 15 or so years working with me. That's why the operation runs so smoothly. They all know what's required,” Raj says. He is self-effacing and balks at self-promotion, although one could forgive him for recounting with pride a career perforated with inspiration. His personal story takes the eye. Having assisted in the family fruit and greengrocery business, which grew to become the largest in Kenya, he left Nairobi for the UK overflowing with ideas and ambition. After passing his A Levels at a boarding school in Bath, he studied pharmacy at Cardiff University and qualified as a pharmacist in 1973. Business ran through his veins and by the age of 24 he was entrusted to manage a branch of Boots.
Imagination
The ensuing decade saw him oversee six branches in areas such as Cardiff, High Wycombe, Wembley and Regent Street, becoming the youngest ever regional senior for Boots. A run-down pharmacy on City Road took his eye and imagination during a social visit back to Cardiff and Raj, envisaging the potential of building up a business in his own image and values from scratch, left his position with Boots and bought the shop. Having worked assiduously, he turned its fortunes around, just as he did for various other sites he purchased in Cardiff, and eventually built up a chain of six successful pharmacies. Those past experiences spatter the present canvass, providing Raj with the ability to handle pressurised situations and maintain a clear-headed focus to seek out business opportunities. The six languages he speaks, English, Swahili, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Urdu, has also given him a unique versatility in an industry dominated by Asian pharmacists.
“I enjoy what I do. I have a lot of happiness in what we achieve. I've always had a strong head for business and I enjoy leadership and keeping customer service levels high. We want to make customers feel how we would want to feel,” he says. He has relinquished the day-to-day running of Central Pharmacy to Raye Owen, his pharmacy manager, and administration manager Jenny Bowen. That has not diluted his enthusiasm in striving for continued improvement, even though Pharmacy Business' roving judge Richard King described the pharmacy and upper floors, including four beauty therapy rooms, as being “fitted to the very highest standard” during his assessment of pharmacies across the UK.
“We need to look at how we can develop the business,” Raj says. “We concentrate more on the health and beauty side because it fits in with pharmacy. We want to hit the niche markets we feel we can provide for. That's something that grows with you. You develop it. You have to have intelligence but you need to focus on your strengths and look at the market.”
Acumen
Raj's sharp acumen has reaped the rewards. The online health and beauty aspect of the business took in over 4,200 orders on December 20, equating to £160,000 over the course of a day which typified the success the online business has enjoyed. Around £1.4 million was generated online in December alone. “The online pharmacy business is the way forward,” Raj says. “Our health and beauty online business is very, very strong and Christmas was particularly strong.” Modesty on his own standing and accomplishments does not extend to his ambitions. “We are expecting it to turn over more than £10 million in the next year. Online health and beauty grows by about 30% each year. Now we want to develop the website for our pharmacy business. It's quite complex because we have to be aware of control, regulations and patient benefits but it is not all about convenience and I'm confident it will grow strongly, although perhaps not in the way health and beauty has.”
A refreshing humility pierces the extravagances of his achievements and aspirations. “I'm really happy working with people. A lot of it is to do with fate and circumstances. For instance, if I still worked at Boots now, managing their stores, I would still enjoy it. It gave me the right training and attitude to business. I enjoy working with people.”
The concept of working for people is not limited to servicing customers at his pharmacy with the latest treatments, products and advice. He spends much of his time working for local charities and hospices and holds a quarterly business lecture at Cardiff University. He is always on hand to point budding entrepreneurs in the right direction and support the Asian community in Wales. “I can talk to them about anything really,” Raj says. “It's about motivating people.” His local football team Cardiff City, with whom he has a season ticket and is a regular at the Cardiff City Stadium, could do with a touch of his inspiration. “Dave Jones is not a bad manager and I hope we can still reach the Premier League,” he says. With typical unpretentiousness, he admits he is “not an expert on any sport” but swimming, golf and cricket provide a welcome contrast to his hectic existence. Central Pharmacy, with its 12,000 dispensed items a month and retail takings of around £15,000 a week, does not monopolise his time.
Proactive
He is also sits on the National Pharmacy Association Board and serves the Ministerial Strategic Pharmacy Delivery Group in Wales. Politics has intermingled itself with pharmacy. Raj, as a pharmacist who genuinely cares for his profession, wants the industry to be proactive rather than procrastinate in the wake of dramatic Governmental changes which will reshape the National Health Service and redefine the role of pharmacy.
“I'm very much aware of the developments in the pharmacy sector,” he says. An air of determination seeps through his concern. “I think pharmacists are practitioners. We need to embrace all the services on offer. The workload is increasing considerably but pharmacy is very efficient. We provide a tremendous service and offer excellent value.”
The coalition Government's Category M clawback payments, which will see independent pharmacies lose £13,000 a year on average, has caused consternation in Raj as it has done in pharmacists across the country. “Cat M is quite complex. Nobody fully understands it. We're always working in the dark, it is impossible to budget. I don't fully understand the inconsistencies and I've worked in pharmacy for a long time,” he says. “Contractors don't fully comprehend Cat M. I think that funding needs to be simplified and more transparent. We rely on the PSNC (Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) and organisations like that to guide us. Pharmacists do need to be reimbursed for what they do.” Three years ago Raj was awarded an OBE for his services to pharmacy, charity and the Asian community in Wales. It is a past to be proud of but this entrepreneur's eyes are fixed firmly on the future.
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