New Business Models

New Business Models; Most of us use one of the online food ordering and local delivery services. For many of us, they have been an absolute godsend during the pandemic, meaning we can still get a regular fix of our favourite takeaways. Increasingly these platforms are looking to expand the products and services they offer but also to offer and promote local businesses, as well as the big corporates. If you are a pharmacy or other retailer considering signing up for these services, you need to be aware that there could be significant regulatory implications. In most cases, the consumer is transacting with the platform operator, and therefore the platform operator is the retailer. If you are looking to offer medicinal products through these platforms, you will need a Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA), as by definition you are wholesaling to the platform operator. As these services are typically based on the principle of a local driver picking up from a local supplier, if you are multiple retailers, each site that holds and supplies stock to the operator will need to be named on the WDA and be fully compliant with obligations of a licensed site.