The Fildas-Catena Group, the largest player on the pharmaceutical market, launched by entrepreneur Anca Vlad three decades ago, has reached a business of 14 billion RON cumulative – pharmacies and drug distribution, according to the data submitted by the company for 2023.

Compared to the previous year, at group level, Fildas-Catena has almost 2 billion RON more in business, which corresponds to an increase of 14%.

The pharmacy business is still larger than the distribution business strictly in terms of turnover, but in 2023, the results of the distribution division were close to a difference of several hundred million RON. This way, the 929 Catena pharmacies brought in 7.1 billion RON, while distribution amounted to 6.9 billion RON.

The need for investments is constant, and in 2024, these will be aimed at developing logistical capacity, drug warehouses and business automation, an aspect that more and more entrepreneurs are considering.

“Just as in previous years, the most important investments we continue to make in the development of IT infrastructure, automation and logistical capabilities, as part of strategic multi-year projects. Another important direction is sustainability, environmental protection, and the use of green energy, adopting the latest available principles and technologies”, Fildas-Catena representatives replied.

Three Decades of Romanian Business History    

Fildas-Catena is a group built over the past three decades by entrepreneur Anca Vlad, and it is one of the most powerful entrepreneurial businesses in Romania.

The entrepreneur established Fildas Trading in 1993, and six years later, in 1999, she entered the retail business, buying a network of 30 pharmacies in Pitesti (Argeș county).

Anca Vlad’s name has become synonymous with that of a family business ambassador. Although there have been several transactions in the market where competing businesses Catena and Fildas have been taken over by international companies with financial strength, the Catena-Fildas brand has remained a Romanian one. Moreover, the reins of the group are to be taken over by the entrepreneur’s son, Alexandru Vlad, already a minority shareholder in several businesses, along with his mother, according to public data. “We were lucky to have been able to transition the business to the next generation,” Anca Vlad previously told ZF.

Article published in the printed version of Ziarul Financiar on the 22.05.2024