Healthcare services group Uniphar has acquired Irish-owned retail technology business TouchStore for an undisclosed sum.
The company, which provides dispensing and retail management software to pharmacy teams, is based in Limerick and employs 35 people. Once the acquisition is complete, the existing management and support teams are to stay on, including founder and managing director Ger Cassidy, and TouchStore will continue to operate as a separate legal entity.
“Uniphar’s backing will help TouchStore to continue to lead pharmacy technology innovation and allow us to provide our pharmacy customers with the support they need, as the HSE and the wider sector move more towards digital operations,” said Mr Cassidy. “Our technology is wholesaler agnostic, so we will continue to be able to work with all pharmacies in the Irish market.”
The acquisition will give TouchStore long-term support for its product roadmap, while expanding Uniphar’s service offerings for its wholesale customers.
“We’re really excited about what TouchStore will allow us to do for our wholesale community pharmacy customers,” said Ian Madden, managing director of Uniphar’s supply chain and retail division. “Combining our supply chain expertise with dispensing and retail management software creates a compelling proposition, which will enable pharmacies to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve ordering and stock management.”
The deal comes following Uniphar’s investment in a new distribution facility in Dublin that doubles its capacity and is expected to offer a range of technology-based solutions that will reduce the non-clinical workload in pharmacies.
“Our investment in TouchStore, along with our state-of-the-art wholesale distribution facility, enables us to further enhance our wholesale service offering to the community pharmacy sector,” Uniphar chief executive Ger Rabbette said.
