Pharmacies and space management
Italian pharmacies often operate in limited spaces, where optimizing the available area is essential to improving operational efficiency and profitability.
A rational organization of space not only improves the workflow in the automated pharmacy, but also makes it possible to offer a more efficient service to customers.
Many pharmacies have to balance the need to maximize the area devoted to sales with the need to manage the stock of medicines effectively. In this context, adopting an automated warehouse is a strategic solution, as it reduces the space dedicated to storage and increases the usable area for services and customer reception.
The issue of space in pharmacies: data in Italy
According to the latest MMAS census, Italian pharmacies have on average:
• 70 m² of sales area
• 34 m² of warehouse space
This means that, on average, around 32.7% of the total space is occupied by the warehouse. In addition, almost half of pharmacies (48.1%) located in towns with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants have a total surface area of less than 60 m², highlighting the need for solutions that make it possible to optimize every square meter available.
Furthermore, a more detailed analysis of the distribution of space shows that:
• 96.1% of pharmacies in Italy have a warehouse, but in many cases the area dedicated to storage is less than 50 m² and represents a significant share of the total surface.
• Only 38.9% of pharmacies have a sales area greater than 60 m², making it essential to find solutions to free up space and improve the customer experience.
• Just 3.9% of pharmacies exceed 150 m², confirming that most points of sale operate in limited spaces.
These data show that for many pharmacies space is a limited resource and that optimizing it is a priority for improving operational management. The adoption of an automated warehouse makes it possible to reduce the area dedicated to storage, optimize stock management, reduce errors and improve internal logistics, freeing up valuable square meters that can be used for sales and customer services. In order to respond to this need, in recent years a growing number of pharmacies have chosen to invest in automated warehouses, recognizing their advantages in terms of efficiency and space optimization.
Again according to the MMAS census, the robotization of warehouses in pharmacies has increased significantly, rising from 4.9% in 2016 to 19.8% in 2021. This trend shows how technology and automation have become essential tools for pharmacies that want to speed up internal processes, reduce the time spent searching for medicines and improve the service offered to customers.
How an automated warehouse can solve the space problem
The adoption of an automated warehouse brings tangible benefits that have a direct impact on space organization and operational efficiency.
- More space for sales and services
An automated warehouse allows a significant reduction in the area dedicated to storage, making it possible to recover useful space in order to:
• Increase the display area and improve the assortment of over-the-counter products.
• Create areas dedicated to additional healthcare services such as self-testing, telemedicine and personalized consultations.
• Improve the layout of the pharmacy, offering a more welcoming and functional environment. - More efficient stock management
Automated warehouses optimize the process of storing and dispensing medicines, allowing:
• Faster and more accurate product retrieval, reducing waiting times at the counter.
• Automated management of expiry dates, cutting waste and improving stock rotation.
• The possibility of monitoring stock levels in real time, optimizing reordering and reducing the risk of stockouts. - Improved staff productivity
By eliminating manual operations for searching and managing medicines, staff can:
• Dedicate more time to customer service, improving the quality of care.
• Reduce the risk of errors in dispensing operations.
• Simplify day-to-day activities, reducing the workload associated with warehouse management.
In a context where every square meter counts, adopting an automated warehouse is a strategic solution for pharmacies that want to optimize space, improve stock management and increase the profitability of the point of sale.
Thanks to an automated system, it is possible to reduce the space dedicated to storage, freeing up surface area for expanding the sales floor and introducing new healthcare services, without compromising operational efficiency.