Guardian Pharmacy set to double its retail presence

Gurgaon-based Guardian Pharmacy is rolling out plans to double its footprint this year. The company so far has made its retail presence in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab, and planning to set foot in Western and Southern part of the country. The company has the plan to set up another 120-125 outlets this year. The company spokesperson also reveals that new targeted localities will be in the areas like Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Faridabad, Sonepat, Jaipur, Noida and Delhi. In the South India, the company is eyeing for opening outlets in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Guardian Lifecare is North India's largest chain of Health, Wellness and Beauty stores. The company has four store formats - high street stores, mall stores, neighbourhood stores and hospital stores. Currently, the company has 106 stores in 13 cities and is expanding the chain to build up strong national presence. Guardian is the master franchisee of GNC Inc in India, the world`s largest nutraceutical and sports. The largest store of Guardian has an area of 3500 square feet and targeting to build stores with an average size of 1000 square feet. The company is presently planning to open 50 franchised outlets in the current financial year. The minimum investment required for franchising is Rs.15 lakh.