CELEBRATING its remarkable 104th year, Haughton’s Pharmacy Rx in Mandeville, Manchester, recently unveiled a range of health technology services aimed at enhancing the experience for its expansive customer base, surpassing 110,000. However, this community-based retail pharmacy and multi-generational family business embarked on its digital transformation journey as early as 1990.

Richard Henry Haughton’s pioneering journey began in 1920 when Mandeville was in its developmental stage. Originating from Spanish Town and Kingston, Haughton seized the opportunity to establish his first shop, Manchester Drug Store, at 25 Manchester Road, which was later rebranded as Haughton’s Pharmacy in 1950. He laid the foundation for a legacy that Stafford Haughton, his grandson, now proudly upholds.

“Twenty-five Manchester Road was a little cubicle; I don’t think it was more than maybe 300 or 400 square feet, but it had a basement,” Stafford, chief pharmacist at Haughton’s Rx, shared with the Jamaica Observer while reflecting on the humble beginnings of his father’s pharmacy in the 1950s.

Not long after, Haughton’s Pharmacy, led by Stafford’s father Dudley, added a more spacious location on 18 West Park Crescent, marking a significant expansion for the evolving business.

“Park Crescent was about 1,200 square feet, or a little more,” he said as he recalled his father’s stores.

Stafford’s journey to take over his father’s business initially kicked off with his enrolment in pharmacy school in 1962 when the landscape of pharmaceutical education was transitioning from hospitals to formal education. Stafford graduated in 1964 with a diploma in pharmacy, intending to return to Mandeville to work alongside his father; however, a career opportunity arose during his last semester, leading Stafford to work at another pharmacy as a quality control analyst. Tragedy struck in 1969 when his father passed away, compelling young Stafford to return, take over the business, and share ownership with his sister, Olga Patricia. The pharmacy thrived under Stafford’s leadership, acquiring a neighbouring bookstore in the mid-70s, expanding to 2000 square feet with a basement.

“We modernised it, went to Miami, bought some fancy fixtures, and fixed up the place, man, and sold greeting cards and everything — a real nice, splendid place,” Stafford reminisced proudly.

Embracing the digital era in 1990, Haughton’s Pharmacy automated its operations to keep inventory and print labels. This set the stage for continued technological advancements. Stafford’s technological acumen led to the development of an automated programme for an insurance company, streamlining reporting processes, and birthing the successful Pharm Partner (RxPak), now Pharm Partner Plus (RxPLUS).

“I have a mind that works technologically, and I see things in technology, and I ask questions,” he told the Business Observer.

Despite a brief venture into Spanish Town and Old Harbour in St Catherine in 1998, Haughton’s Pharmacy refocused on Mandeville. With a small staff of about 10 and a 900-square-foot store along Caledonia Road, it is now leveraging technology for outreach across the island, and Stafford envisions a future beyond Jamaica, propelled by RxPak and RxPLUS, which it recently launched.

“I see the opportunity that this RxPak and RxPLUS offer to expand outside of Jamaica. If the drone delivery catches on, we’re going to get a bigger drone to go islandwide,” he said ambitiously. “Drone technology for delivery is the future because it is not only inexpensive, it is ecofriendly, and there are no emissions from a drone.”

While the development of RxPak took over a year, Haughton acknowledges that achieving islandwide drone delivery will be a gradual process. This acknowledgement reflects his pragmatic and visionary approach, emphasising his commitment to integrating technology as a driving force for sustained growth and environmental responsibility. Haughton’s Pharmacy Rx is poised to explore new frontiers in health-care technology, driven by a commitment to innovation and efficiency.

With a touch of humour, Stafford shares his creative musings, stating, “Because of technology the pharmacy can do things people can’t do. I even have an idea to make a robot arm, but I don’t find anybody to design it because everybody I ask says yes, and then they don’t come.”

This light-hearted comment captures the essence of Stafford’s persistent pursuit of technological advancements, even in the realm of imaginative concepts like a robotic arm.