WE MEAN BUSINESS. Lambert Saddler (foreground) and Maureen Gordon, operators of the new Four Way pharmacy in Santa Cruz, are planning to take action due to recent decisions from the Government which may spell trouble for their business.

The operators of the new Four Way pharmacy in Santa Cruz are planning to link up with their competitors to see how best they can challenge what they have described as a ill-conceived plan by government to set up a Drug Serv outlet within chains of their business on Santa Plaza.

"We've written to the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and we are going to see how best we can deal with this because there are already eight pharmacies within this small radius of 200-300 metres and this will only serve to cripple private enterprise," said Lambert Saddler who has been operating the pharmacy along with Maureen Gordon since 2002.

The Drug Serv store, which is expected to make drugs available at heavily discounted prices, showed no signs of being open for business yesterday.

However, Gordon and Saddler told the OBSERVER WEST that measures have already been put in place in the form of target marketing, with a view to containing the potential fallout from the opening of the Drug Serv store.

In the meantime, the pair said they would not be letting up on their lobby to convince the government to relocate the store to the health centre in Santa Cruz.

"This is a careless plan that could drive private enterprise out of business. It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul. If the government really wants to help poor people it should relocate the store to the health centre where the facilities will be better utilised by patients who visit and use those facilities on a daily basis. Putting it here will only cripple our businesss which also helps poor people by giving them employment. If they kill this, the poor people here will also suffer," said Saddler.

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

Pepper Pot