While the selling price is obviously important, there are several other important items that need to be considered when selling your pharmacy. What is your lease obligation? How will your inventory be valued? What are your non-compete conditions? What are the purchase agreement terms precedent to closing? How do you minimize your tax liability? Are there earnout conditions contingent on payment? What are the regulatory requirements with the Board of Pharmacy and the DEA? These are just a few of the many things to consider.

Tough question; but you DO need to keep it confidential to prevent losing business before you sell! This is a great reason to use a Consultant/Broker as they can market the high-level financials of your pharmacy to quality buyers without releasing the name and exact location of your pharmacy. Any credible Consultant/Broker is also going to have Non-Disclosure Agreements (“NDA’s”) on file before sharing ANY information. Many of our Consultants are previous pharmacy owners and Acquisition Directors and we COMPLETELY understand the importance of confidentiality, especially when it comes to employees.

Unless you have personally been involved in the sale of multiple pharmacies, we HIGHLY encourage you to seek the help of an expert that has been involved with a significant number of pharmacy transactions. Consultants/Brokers will more than cover their fees by negotiating a better price, helping negotiate optimal terms of the contract and ensuring full reimbursement of your inventory. On average, we find over $10,000 in errors while auditing the inventory details alone, putting more money back in your pocket. You can continue to operate and focus on your business while a Consultant/Broker does the footwork. Be prepared for unannounced visits from potential buyers when you handle the marketing and transaction on your own.“You don’t know what you don’t know, until it’s too late!”

You will find various methods, depending on where you look or who you talk to. Because we have been through HUNDREDS of pharmacy transactions, we know what methods are currently being used and which ones are more theoretical and not really used anymore. From an independent buyer perspective, a multiple (a range of 2.5 to 4 times) of the NORMALIZED Net Profit (EBITDA) is the most widely accepted method. Determining the value that a chain may offer for your pharmacy is far more complex. The chains will use more than 20 factors when determining their ROI and what they can offer for your business: prescription volume, location in proximity, number of competitors in the area, and the business mix (tradition retail, deliveries, special packaging, compounding) being the most critical. Typically, after reviewing the ROI, the chain will assess a price to a prescription (price per prescription) and the offer is calculated using annualized prescriptions (total prescriptions filled over the last 12 months). There is no general formula, and each pharmacy needs to be analyzed and valued individually. You will want the help of an expert who has been through hundreds of chain transactions to leverage prior purchase history when negotiating the purchase price for your pharmacy.

Most companies have exclusive listing agreements which means you pay them a fee if you sell your pharmacy, whether they are involved with selling your pharmacy or not. However, our company has a NON-Exclusive listing agreement, meaning you are not responsible for a fee if you sell your pharmacy without our assistance. You will be able to explore other options when working with our company.

We attend all major pharmacy conferences and network with thousands of independent pharmacists every year and have been doing this for many years! We inquire about an interested buyer’s financial resources and background BEFORE we share any information with them. We have accumulated an extensive database of qualified buyers over the years that we match with specific pharmacy listings.

It depends. If you sell to an independent buyer, depending on your specific state regulations and the type of purchase (asset or stock), it can take up to 4 to 6 months or even longer. If you are considering selling to a chain, it could take as little as 8 to 12 weeks.

The selling pharmacy traditionally pays the Consultant/Broker fee but sometimes the buyer may offer to split the costs. The industry fees typically range from 5 to 10% of the total purchase price, the vast majority being closer 6 to 8%. There is generally some flexibility in the fee depending on the expected selling price of the business. Consultant/Brokers will almost always cover their fees by negotiating a better price and more favorable contract terms. You should be more concerned with what it will cost you if you DON’T use a Pharmacy Consultant/Broker.

Ensure they specialize only in pharmacy sales. How much experience do they have in terms of years and number of pharmacies sold? What do their past clients say about them through reviews and testimonials? Your peers will give you a great indication of what to expect. How comprehensive are their services? Will they help you through the entire process and after the sale is complete? Will they be present for the closing inventory to help prep the store and audit the inventory to ensure accuracy? Is the consultant a registered pharmacist with vast industry knowledge? Are the listing agreements Exclusive or NON-Exclusive? What is the background of the Pharmacy Consultant/Broker? Our consultants consist of previous pharmacy owners, previous Acquisitions Directors for chains, retail executives, infusion pharmacists, LTC owners and LTC Directors. All are registered pharmacists! What is the background of the Pharmacy Consultant/Broker? Our consultants consist of previous pharmacy owners, previous Acquisitions Directors for chains, retail executives, infusion pharmacists, LTC owners and LTC Directors. All consultants at Integrity Pharmacy Consultants are registered pharmacists!

This should be one of the first steps you take when you are considering selling your pharmacy. When you get a valuation, ensure that the person/company providing the valuation does not have ulterior motives. Many have a vested interest if you sell to their own independent buyers and they will not provide you with a value from a chain buyer perspective. Be sure to get a valuation that takes into consideration both independent AND chain buyer options as there can be a sizeable difference. Talk to a professional that does not have a bias for selling to a specific type of group. When you receive a value, remember that the ultimate value is determined by what someone is willing to pay and has the resources to pay for it. If there is low demand to purchase a pharmacy like yours, the value might be slightly lower than you expect but if the demand is higher, you might expect to get paid a little more.