François Dauba, Partner in the Competition/Distribution department, answers questions from LSA on the topic: “Mass retailing vs. pharmacies: a never-ending war.”

With the pandemic and the aging of the population, health is more than ever
more than ever the primary concern of the French. A territory coveted by the mass
but fiercely defended by pharmacists. Today, the question arises as to
question of the value of this perpetual battle. The context

For four decades, mass retailers have been trying to break the pharmacists’ monopoly.
Distributors and pharmacists have been battling it out in the media and in court.
The arguments of each party have not changed, but the expectations and behavior of consumers have.
In the mid-1980s, supermarkets were attacking the pharmacists’ monopoly. Four decades later, the war is still raging in the courts
and in the media. “The large-scale distribution, and in particular E. Leclerc, which is not afraid to go to court, is still fighting.
the authorities to reflect on the contours of the monopoly by also taking into account the
of the monopoly, also taking into account the evolution of consumer expectations and new
expectations and new distribution methods (especially the Internet),” explains François Dauba, partner at BCTG Avocats.

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