SUPERMED group of pharmacies has bought Mall Pharmacy on Constant Spring Road, increasing its islandwide store count to seven and bringing it closer to becoming a premier brand in Jamaica.

The new owner has been operating the business with a new management and staff since last month.

Renovation took as little as a week and the changeover was quick and smooth, said Norman Dunn, managing director of SuperMed.

At first glance, it appears that the store was expanded. Its wooden floor and sky blue ceiling is a huge contrast to the old establishment.

Dunn declined to give a price tag on the purchase, but described the investment as “significant”, noting that the capital came from a combination of the other businesses and bank financing.

“As you enter you will be greeted, there’s good lighting and the ambience is homey,” he said. “It’s up tempo and has a modern look. We want to create a new shopping experience.

What’s more, the SuperMed boss hopes to offer drive-through service at the Mall Plaza to make shopping more convenient to his customers.

The business also has a website, which facilitates online shopping for some items, but drugs can’t be purchased online.

Mavis Beckford, the previous owner of Mall Pharmacy, told the Business Observer that she sold the drug and gift centre to focus on her other business — Mall Pharmacy in Portmore .

“I sold it for many reasons, one of which was the workload and my inability to give it the needed oversight,” she said.

Citing Mall Pharmacy’s tag line, “We’ve got it when others don’t”, Beckford said the store had a reputation of making an extra effort to satisfy its customers.

SuperMed kept the Mall Pharmacy name, which customers in the corporate area have known for the past three decades, to retain the legacy and make the store easily identified.

But Dunn plans to dispense a unique shopping experience, which he says is a work in progress.

“We are selling an experience, it’s not just a drugstore and a gift centre,” said Dunn . “The customer service will be exceptional and any purchase will complete the experience.”

“In fact, we will improve the legacy left by Mall Pharmacy,” he said.

The SuperMed group of pharmacies includes Hughenden Pharmacy on Molynes Road, which is already a drive-through. There are also two stores in St Mary, two in New Kingston — on the Sagicor Building and on Trinidad Terrace — and one in Linstead.

There have been other ownership changes of pharmacies in recent times.

Late last year, York Pharmacy was take over by Serron Pharmaceuticals Limited, which continues to operate the business under the York Pharmacy name, an agreement obviously designed to capitalise on the strong brand developed at Half-Way-Tree over the past 41 years.

And at the beginning of 2013, Azmart was purchased by Fontana, which had two stores prior to the acquisition.