GNP indie program gets a makeover as ABC launches Premier franchise
LAS VEGAS AmerisourceBergen has big plans for its 5,000 independent drug store customers.
The drug wholesale and health services giant unveiled those plans at its National Healthcare Conference & Exposition July 17, when company leaders announced the launch of GNP Premier, a new best-in-breed franchise program for its top independent pharmacy customers. The program will be offered to independents who subscribe to ABC’s 25-year-old store support and branding program, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, and to other independent owner-operators who want a franchise and store-service package that combines all the company’s tools for independents under a full-service menu of programs to help them improve their business.
The goal, company leaders said at the annual conference and trade show, is to better leverage the sheer scale and national reach of GNP, while connecting its pharmacy members more directly with the full range of resources offered by GNP and its parent company.
“This is really an extraordinary leap for us,” said David Neu, ABC’s senior vice president of retail sales. The move to a best-in-class franchising program for its top independent drug store customers, he added, “is probably the most fundamental objective we have right now.”
Addressing hundreds of pharmacy owners, supplier representatives, pharmacy students and guests during the conference kickoff, Neu announced a major milestone for GNP: the addition of a 3,000th GNP store with the decision by another ABC pharmacy customer to join the network, just days before the conference kickoff.
The wholesale and health care giant will begin actively encouraging its top pharmacy customers to enlist in the Premier GNP franchise program, charging them a proposed monthly fee of $399 in exchange for the full menu of services from ABC.
The centerpiece of those services will be personalized business coaching for pharmacy owners and franchisees, utilizing a new analytical tool called GNP InSite. “By analyzing data derived from GNP InSite, a database housing operational intelligence from hundreds of independent pharmacies, GNP Premier will provide pharmacies with information on how they compare with similar stores,” noted ABC in a statement. “This information will then be used to develop customized business solutions and help individual pharmacies identify, implement and measure business improvement practices.”
GNP Premier will also offer owners tools to help them streamline workflow and provide better patient safety programs and health care services in the store.
“In today’s economic climate, independent pharmacies need an edge to compete with big chains,” said Neu. “This program will help independent pharmacists with the business aspects of their jobs, so they can focus on what they do best—providing superior patient care.”