How to open a pharmacy: steps, costs, stock, expiry dates

The short answer: a pharmacy is a regulated business, so the order matters. Confirm who may own and run one, and what licence and premises rules apply, with your health authority before you sign a lease. Then secure a qualified pharmacist where the law requires one, choose licensed suppliers, stock a focused first range, and track batch and expiry dates from day one. Cash is tied up in stock that expires, so buy small and count often.

The steps to open

1. Ask the health authority first. Rules on who may own a pharmacy, who must be the responsible pharmacist, and what the premises need differ by country. This is not legal advice.
2. Secure the licence and the pharmacist before spending on fit-out.
3. Choose the premises. Check that the unit may be licensed as a pharmacy. Storage rules for medicines and any controlled products are set by the authority.
4. Fit out with shelving, a counter, secure storage and a place to keep products that need a cool, dry room.
5. Find licensed suppliers and write down terms, return policy for expired goods and delivery days.
6. Buy a first range of what local prescribers and customers ask for most.
7. Set up a till and an item list with barcodes before the first sale.

What the money goes to

• Rent and deposit.
• Licence and registration fees, as set by your authority.
• Fit-out: shelving, counter, storage and signage.
• First stock: the largest item. It depends on how wide your range is.
• Equipment: barcode scanner, receipt printer, till device and a fridge if you stock cold-chain items.
• Staff: the responsible pharmacist and counter staff.
• Running costs: electricity, insurance and cleaning.
• A cash cushion: stock sits on the shelf until it sells.

The break-even tool shows how many sales cover your fixed costs.

Choosing the first stock

Start with the products people ask for most and avoid deep stock of anything slow. Every item has an expiry date, so a large order of a slow item is a future write-off. Keep a purchase list per supplier, such as the free pharmacy purchase order template, and count with the pharmacy stock count sheet. WHO and FIP publish good pharmacy practice guidelines that describe quality standards for pharmacy services; they are a useful checklist, and your own regulator's rules come first.

Pricing and margin

Some prices may be set or capped by the authority in your country, so check before you price. Where you are free to price, work from cost: put cost and price into the margin calculator for each item and compare with what you pay for stock that expires unsold.

A daily routine

• Open: count the drawer, check the shelves.
• Sell: scan each item and note the batch where your rules require it.
• Close: count cash against sales, list low items.
• Weekly: check expiry dates and move near-date stock to the front.
• Monthly: count stock against your records.

Common mistakes

• Buying large quantities of slow items that then expire.
• Not checking expiry dates until a customer finds an old box.
• Buying from an unlicensed supplier.
• Mixing personal and pharmacy cash.
• Skipping the count, so shrinkage goes unseen.

A checklist

• Licence and pharmacist confirmed with the authority
• Premises approved and storage ready
• Licensed suppliers and terms written down
• Item list with barcodes
• Expiry check routine written
• Cash cushion set aside

Where Dashing helps

Dashing scans barcodes, works offline, keeps stock per item, records customer debts and supports stock counts. See the pharmacy page, the invoice template for pharmacies and the free plan.

Costs, licences and margins vary by country; use your own quotes.

Sources

Outside facts come from the sources below. The statements about Dashing rest on the Dashing pages (accessed 2026-10-31).

• WHO and FIP, "Joint FIP/WHO guidelines on good pharmacy practice: standards for quality of pharmacy services", WHO Technical Report Series No. 961, Annex 8, 2011 (accessed 2026-10-31).
• Dashing for pharmacies, https://dashingerp.com/en/for/pharmacy
• The free plan in Dashing, https://dashingerp.com/en/free