Czech Online Drugstore Enters the Hungarian Market

Pilulka, the Czech Republic's largest online pharmacy, has launched operations in Hungary and will soon continue its expansion in Austria, the company has told the Hungarian state news agency MTI. Pilulka.hu aims to become Hungary's number one online drugstore, also accessible from mobile apps.

According to the statement, the Czech online drug retail and mail order company, founded in 2013, will start operating on the Hungarian market with more than 600 products and is preparing to compete with the biggest drug chains.

According to the company, it will not supply prescription or over-the-counter medicines in accordance with Hungarian law.

They will build on the most popular brands in Hungary, and in the future, the company may also launch own-brand dietary supplements, they said. Customers can place orders online and on the Pilulka mobile app. It is planned that in the future, it will be possible to schedule deliveries for a specific period.

Pilulka said the operation will be based on the logistics and warehousing of its Slovak subsidiary, while in Hungary it will have a sales, marketing and customer service department.

"This approach will give us tremendous flexibility and efficiency in tailoring our services and products to customer needs. Within weeks we plan to launch a similar model in Austria," CEO Petr Kasa said.

The company was founded by a Czech brother and sister in 2013 and has since built the largest mail order pharmacy network in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company started operations on the Romanian market in 2018.

The Pilulka Group closed 2021 with sales of EUR 145 million, of which the Czech parent company's sales increased by 35% to EUR 97 million.

Pilulka is the first e-commerce company to be listed on the Prague Stock Exchange. The company's share price has quadrupled since its listing in 2020.