Company: Dis-Chem Pharmacies
Country: South Africa
Sector: Drugstore Chains
CEO: Not publicly listed
Website: https://www.dischem.co.za/
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa
Founded: 1978
Valuation/Revenue: $1,927.2m revenue; $1,477.1m market value (African Business Top 250, rank 84)
Dis-Chem Pharmacies is South Africa’s second-largest retail pharmacy chain, operating more than 300 stores across Southern Africa. Founded in 1978 by pharmacists Ivan and Lynette Saltzman, it listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2016 and remains one of the country’s most recognisable healthcare and retail brands.
What Does Dis-Chem Do?
Dis-Chem operates a chain of retail pharmacies selling prescription and over-the-counter medicines, health and beauty products, baby care, and general wellness items, alongside private-label ranges and in-store clinics offering basic healthcare services. The group also runs a wholesale distribution division supplying independent pharmacies, and it has built out an e-commerce and delivery operation to compete with the growing online retail and healthcare segment in South Africa.
How Big Is Dis-Chem?
African Business’s Top 250 ranking placed Dis-Chem 84th by revenue, at roughly $1.93 billion, with a market value of approximately $1.48 billion. The group’s November 2016 initial public offering raised about R4.4 billion by listing 27.5% of its share capital on the JSE, one of the larger retail listings on the exchange in recent years, and it has continued expanding its store footprint since.
Who Owns Dis-Chem?
Following its 2016 partial listing, founders Ivan and Lynette Saltzman retained majority ownership of the business, with the remaining shares held by institutional and public shareholders trading on the JSE under the ticker DCP.
Is Dis-Chem Publicly Traded?
Yes. Dis-Chem has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since November 2016, when it completed one of the larger South African retail IPOs of that period.
Where Is Dis-Chem Headquartered?
Dis-Chem’s head office is in Midrand, Gauteng, a logistics and corporate hub located between Johannesburg and Pretoria that also hosts its distribution infrastructure.
How Old Is Dis-Chem?
Dis-Chem was founded in 1978, making it more than four decades old, having grown from a single pharmacy started by Ivan and Lynette Saltzman into one of South Africa’s largest retail pharmacy chains.
What Has Dis-Chem Been in the News For Recently?
Dis-Chem has previously drawn regulatory attention: in 2020, South Africa’s Competition Tribunal fined the company R1.2 million for inflating prices on hygiene products such as face masks during the early COVID-19 pandemic period. More recently, the company has continued expanding its physical footprint, including new store openings within shopping centre developments, and has invested in digital health and e-commerce capabilities to compete with growing online pharmacy and wellness retail competition.
How Does Dis-Chem Compare to Its Competitors?
Dis-Chem’s largest rival is Clicks Group, South Africa’s largest pharmacy and health-and-beauty retail chain, against which it competes closely on pricing, loyalty programmes and store footprint. It also faces competition from supermarket chains with in-store pharmacies and from independent pharmacies served by wholesale distributors.
How Does Dis-Chem’s Wholesale Business Fit In?
Alongside its retail pharmacy chain, Dis-Chem operates a wholesale distribution arm that supplies medicines and healthcare products to independent pharmacies across South Africa, giving the group a second revenue stream beyond its own branded stores and deeper reach into the broader pharmaceutical supply chain. This dual retail-and-wholesale model is one way Dis-Chem differentiates itself from Clicks, which operates primarily as a pure retail chain, and it has helped Dis-Chem maintain relevance with independent pharmacy owners even as its own store network has expanded into areas that might otherwise compete with those same independents.
What Was the 2020 Price-Gouging Controversy About?
During the earliest weeks of South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, national demand for hygiene and protective products such as face masks and sanitiser spiked sharply, and South Africa’s Competition Tribunal found that Dis-Chem had increased prices on certain of these items beyond what could be justified by rising input costs, a practice known as price gouging under the country’s competition law. The Tribunal imposed a R1.2 million penalty, and the episode became a widely cited case study in how South African competition authorities responded to pandemic-era pricing behaviour across the retail sector, not just at Dis-Chem but at several other major retailers investigated around the same time.
How Do I Apply for a Job at Dis-Chem?
Dis-Chem is one of South Africa’s larger retail employers, with staffing needs spanning in-store pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, beauty consultants, distribution and logistics roles, and head-office corporate functions; the company advertises openings through its own website and mainstream South African job portals. A specific verified careers-page URL was not confirmed during research for this profile.
Links
Website: https://www.dischem.co.za/
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is Dis-Chem legit?
Yes. It is a JSE-listed, decades-old South African retail pharmacy chain with more than 300 stores.
How old is Dis-Chem?
Dis-Chem was founded in 1978.
Who owns Dis-Chem?
Founders Ivan and Lynette Saltzman retain majority ownership, with the remainder held by public shareholders following the company’s 2016 JSE listing.
Is Dis-Chem publicly traded?
Yes, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since November 2016, under the ticker DCP.
Where is Dis-Chem headquartered?
Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa.
How does Dis-Chem compare to Clicks?
Dis-Chem is South Africa’s second-largest pharmacy retailer after Clicks Group, its closest direct competitor in the health-and-beauty retail space.