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Profile
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3/30/2011
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Serving the community
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Chirav Dalal (centre) has good support from staff
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The sheer persistence of Chirav Dalal and his wife Madhvi saw them overcome the odds to provide the public of Pontypool with a first-class pharmacy. Neil Trainis talks to the Pharmacy Business Community Award winner...
It is little wonder Richard King, Pharmacy Business's roving judge, described Chirav Dalal's Healthplus pharmacy in the dusty industrial town of Pontypool, embedded on the outskirts of the South Wales coalfields, as “a triumph over adversity.” A tale of unadulterated perseverence began five years ago when Chirav and Madhvi decided to buy their pharmacy and merge it with the local post office. An ambitious plan came at great cost. “It cost us a lot in refurbishment when we joined up with the post office,” Chirav reflects. “But no sooner had we done it, the Government closed the post office. We battled long and hard to keep it open but the Government had other plans.” It was a huge setback in terms of the couple's financial input and arguably more deflating from an emotional viewpoint. After all the planning, all the hard work, all the time and energy expended in trying to bring the image of their inspiring pharmacy to life, the walls crumbled around them. “I put my head down in absolute horror,” Chirav reminisces. His infuriation, coupled with exasperation, at the Government's decision still prickles him. “They knew all the work we put into it but they chose to close it for whatever reason or whatever their criteria was. Customers were up in arms too because that post office had been there for more than 50 years.”
Lurched
It was little consolation that the building itself belonged to him. A threat to his livelihood lurched over the horizon. The closure of the post office may have driven customers looking to collect their pensions into other areas and into the clutches of other pharmacies. “It looked grim,” Chirav says. “But we kept them informed of our plans and they are a very loyal customer base, even though they may have had to go to other areas to get their pensions.” His scope for fulfilling his aspirations had not quite died. “There was no way out but we had to make something out of it. We thought 'let's not be deterred, we have a brand new building.' We thought about what we could do to take it further.”
He liased with various banks in an attempt to install an ATM cash machine in his pharmacy so customers could withdraw their money without having to travel out of town, although that process was not without it struggles. “I spoke to different banks and they all charged customers in the pharmacy to use it except one,” he says. Alliance and Leicster eventually came up trumps for him. “Now we have the only non-surcharging cash machine in over a mile radius.” The renovation of the building, a domineering old Second World War eyesore, was painstaking but worth every drop of sweat and ounce of effort. “As soon as Richard walked into the pharmacy he was astounded by the layout of the shop,” Chirav says. “The building was very old when we bought it and it was a lot of work because of the state it was in. It was very huge with a high ceiling which goes from one end of the shop to the other. We restored it and the shop is now very open-plan. Customers can see you all the time you are in the shop. We have nice seating areas and a nice community feel.” It took an investment of £100,000 to transform the building, including the original vaulted ceiling which, in Richard's words, “gives the pharmacy a unique atmosphere.” The expansiveness of the pharmacy paradoxically cultivates a snug, close environment. It accommodates a large sofa and free library for customers to use. Chirav also arranges regular coffee mornings which stimulate the elderly residents.
“I put my head down in absolute horror. The Government knew all the work we put into it but they chose to close the post office. Customers were up in arms too because that post office had been there for more than 50 years”
He looks back on his decision to embark on an extensive renovation with pride when the temptation to throw in the towel might have overcome lesser individuals. “We were not deterred by the obstacles we came across,” he says. “We had solid goals and we wanted to achieve them. Like everything on life, if you give up at an early stage, you won't achieve anything. We wanted to achieve something and we did.”
He admitted to experiencing “a little dip” in business after the post office was closed but gleefully reveals that prescription figures have doubled since the pharmacy was visited by Richard last year. He is proud of the look, feel and pragmatism of Healthplus but there is still room for improvement. “Our work is not done,” he says. “There's a lot more to be done. We would like to put in diagnostic testing. Customers have to catch two buses to get to the doctors surgery and we would like to set up an in-house service.” The closest doctors surgery is a mile away but Chirav's resourcefulness opens up new possibilities once more. “When we designed the pharmacy we took on a local architect. His grandfather is one of our customers. He helped us immensely, producing a three-dimensional model of the pharmacy.
“We used local tradesmen and everything is hand-made, with glass counters, glass cabinets. We have a large consultation room which is suitable for diagnostics testing. It's about 10ft by 14ft rougly but there's no reason why we can't have diagnostics in there.”
Humility
Chirav's business acumen is underpinned by an engaging humility which allows him to understand the needs of his customers. “We've always maintained good customer services,” he says. “Good customer services go a long way. There's nothing to it. If you don't have that you won't get happy customers. Good word spreads quickly but bad word spreads faster.”
Madhvi, a qualified pharmacist like her husband, works alongside Chirav when she is not running her Indian dancing school in the area. “She enjoys it. We work very well together. We have a small team, three staff as well as me and my wife, but it's better that way.” Last year the couple had a baby girl. Endless sleepness nights pose another challenge, yet his determination perforates all difficulties.
Helping other people gives him great satisfaction, which is perhaps why his charity work is fulfilling rather than a hindrance to his duties as a busy pharmacist. “We do a lot of charity work. Every year we choose a charity of a customer and we do a lot of fundraising,” he says. “One of our customers lost a baby last year. She wanted to raise over £1,000 and we helped her do it.” A sobering thought, then a pause... “These kind of things bring customers together.”
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