DM revolutionizes the market: Online pharmacy comes 2025!

DM revolutionizes the market: Online pharmacy comes 2025!

The German drugstore chain DM is preparing for an exciting step: the introduction of your own online pharmacy! In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung expressed DM boss Christoph Werner that you want to offer non-prescription medication online that is previously only available in pharmacies. This decision comes at a time when the number of pharmacies in Germany has been at the lowest level since 1978, as the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations reports. Statasitically, a pharmacy in Germany closes every day, which makes the need for a digital solution even more urgent.

The open questions about the start are also exciting. Werner announced that the DM online pharmacy should start in the second half of 2025. However, the new products should only be available online, while the existing DM branches are not allowed to sell any OTC products that are subject to pharmacy, such as paracetamol. This step is not only an answer to the decline in pharmacies, but also a strategic answer to the changing health market. "We want to make our contribution to an affordable supply of health products in Germany," emphasized Werner, while he was concerned with concerns about the competition to traditional pharmacies.

regulatory changes on the horizon

The prerequisites for the success of the DM online pharmacy could, however, depend on future legal changes. Werner is optimistic that a new market will soon open a new market, similar to the cancellation of the price tie in the 1970s. Pharmacies subject to pharmacy are currently subject to strict regulations, but the potential for ZM entrepreneurs could increase: "Entrepreneurial pharmacists have great opportunities after a possible liberalization," he explains. This development represents a remarkable turning point in the health sector and could revolutionize the way consumer gains access to important health products.

The past is not friendly towards such projects, as Douglas's failed project shows, which bought the Disapo online pharmacy in 2022, but gave back in 2024 due to financial losses. However, DM seems determined to enter the digital health business and thus set new standards, as also reports the . This new chapter could be of great importance for both DM and German consumers.