Bukky George

ABOUT HEALTHPLUS

Bukky George is a role model for high-impact entrepreneurship. She stood out by being highly-competitive and tenacious, qualities that helped her graduate top of her Pharmacy class at the University of Lagos, and sowed the early seeds for her audacious vision for HealthPlus.

Starting HealthPlus, Bukky’s aim was to prove (to herself as much as others) that an independent pharmacy could run ethically and profitably. In 1999, she opened her first branch in Lagos. HealthPlus quickly became the pharmacy of choice. Bukky’s refusal to compromise on customer experience, pharmacist training and the integrity of her supply chain saw the brand become a household name, with customers travelling from all over the country to purchase medicines and other healthcare products.

The group operates two complementary concepts; HealthPlus, a chain of pharmacies, and CasaBella, a chain of “one-stop-shops” for beauty and grooming. With significant gaps in formal infrastructure, the retail market opportunity in Nigeria is significant, and HealthPlus’ current footprint barely scratches the surface of
what is required to meet the needs of a fast-growing population (Nigeria will be the world’s third largest population by 2050 [UN, 2016]). Given the strength of its two retail brands, well-located, visible store portfolio and robust senior management team with proven retail operations experience, the Group’s aspiration to be the Boots Pharmacy of Nigeria, is not unachievable. In 2019, as well launching a new e-commerce site, HealthPlus Group plans to grow its brick-and-mortar portfolio and deepening its presence in Nigeria’s most populated city, Lagos.

With one in five medicines in circulation estimated to be substandard or fake, HealthPlus Group brings Nigerians pharmacy and beauty products they can trust. Between HealthPlus, a chain of pharmacies, and CasaBella, a chain of beauty stores; the company has almost 90 retail outlets across Nigeria, employs over 750 people and is the largest employer of pharmacists who dispense medicines, provide counseling and perform free health screenings. By protecting the strict integrity of its supply chain, and self-regulating by adopting world-class standards; HealthPlus provides consumers with safe, affordable and convenient access to medicines and related products. HealthPlus has become a household name and is transforming retail pharmacy in Nigeria with the launch of an e-commerce platform and the set-up of a pharma distribution center which will be a model for drug distribution across Nigeria.