Proxim (also known by its corporate name Groupe PharmEssor) is a Canadian group of pharmacists located in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...
and to a lesser extent in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and the
Maritimes provinces. The average Proxim drug store is , similar to the typical size of a Brunet or Unipharm location.
All Proxim stores are owned by independent pharmacists that comply with Proxim's business rules and practices. Proxim's private brand is called "Atoma" and the company also has its
loyalty card program.
There are close to 270 drug stores in Eastern Canada that carry the Proxim name.
History
In August 2004, two companies - Groupe Essaim and Gestion Santé Services Obonsoins Inc—regrouped to form Groupe PharmEssor. The three pharmacy chains affected by this merger - Essaim, Obonsoins and Santé Services—were initially kept separate and intact by PharmEssor. However, in February 2006, PharmEssor consolidated all of its operations under a single banner, Proxim, hence eliminating the previous banners. The name "Proxim" was inspired from the word “proximity” to describe the group's great accessibility to
pharmaceutical care
Pharmaceutical care is the direct, responsible provision
of medication-related care for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life.
Definition
Hepler and Linda Strand's definition is the most well-known ...
s.
One year after the creation of Proxim, the Proximed banner was created in February 2007. Thus, an estimate of 31 selected locations operate today under the name Proximed.
On July 1, 2008,
McKesson Canada acquired Proxim.
In September 2017, McKesson Canada completed its acquisition of
Uniprix
Uniprix is a pharmacy chain founded in 1977 and based in Saint-Leonard, Montreal, Quebec. It operates under four brands: Uniprix, Unipharm, Clinique Santé and Uniclinique (inside clinics). Combining its four brands, Uniprix is the second-lar ...
which would be headed by the same president who oversees the Proxim chain. Proxim and Uniprix have since remained separate chains of McKesson, much the same way that competitors
Jean Coutu and
Brunet both live on within the ownership of
Metro Inc.
Metro Inc. is a Canadian food retailer operating in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The company is based in Montreal, Quebec with head office at 11011 Boulevard Maurice-Duplessis. Metro is the third largest grocer in Canada, after Loblaw ...
References
Notes
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.groupeproxim.ca
Companies based in Boucherville
Canadian pharmacy brands