True to its mission to shake up the health and wellness sectors—which are too opaque or insufficiently competitive to allow all citizens to take care of themselves at the fairest price and with full transparency—the Belgian company Medi-Market Group is forging ahead by opening its first aesthetic care institute in Waterloo and its first stand-alone pharmacy in Leuven.
L’Institut by Medi-Market
“After a detailed market study, we realized that some players in the aesthetic care sector were charging extravagant margins. We decided to make the best technologies and the expertise of our teams accessible to everyone so that the greatest number of people can take care of themselves at an affordable price,” explains founder Yvan Verougstraete.
In its first center in Waterloo, opening in November 2018, L’Institut by Medi-Market will offer three main areas of expertise:
- Slimming and Body Shaping: Through a holistic approach combining cutting-edge technologies (cryolipolysis, cellumassage, radiofrequency) and the expertise of dietitians, the institute aims to help everyone regain shape at a truly democratic price.
- Permanent Hair Removal: Using the latest generation Diode Laser to provide safe, effective, and painless permanent hair removal for all skin types (for both men and women) at a low price.
- Facial and Anti-Aging Treatments: An optimal synergy combining advanced radiofrequency technology with Esthederm skincare to take the best care of your skin.
After learning from this first pilot project, Medi-Market Group plans to roll out this concept rapidly in several of its stores and even as stand-alone centers. “Our goal is to revolutionize the world of aesthetic care by offering the best quality to everyone, at the lowest price—just as we did with parapharmacy,” emphasizes Yvan Verougstraete.
Pharmacy by Medi-Market Group
A 2017 study on access to healthcare highlighted that Belgians pay far too much for their medicines in a market lacking competition. This situation pushes many citizens to cross borders to purchase medicines or order online from foreign sites. Worse yet, according to the study’s results, nearly one in three Belgians forgoes needed medications for financial reasons!
“Democratizing healthcare is everyone’s business. Yet, a year after this study was published, nothing fundamental has changed. It is worth noting that an average 20% price reduction on non-reimbursed medicines would save Belgian consumers approximately 400 million euros per year,” states Yvan Verougstraete.
In this context, Medi-Market Group decided to accelerate the development of its network with a new concept: “Pharmacy by Medi-Market Group.” While strictly complying with Belgian legislation and the ethical rules of the pharmacy profession, this new brand intends to inform patients that Belgian law allows pharmacists to freely set prices for non-reimbursed medicines and encourages them to compare prices for these medicines.
The first Pharmacy by Medi-Market Group opened on October 20 on Bondgenotenlaan, one of the main thoroughfares of the university city of Leuven, stretching from the train station to the city center.
[1] Study commissioned by Medicare-Market and conducted by Dedicated Research showing, among other things, that prices for non-reimbursed medicines are up to 36% higher in Belgium than in France and up to 27% more expensive compared to the Netherlands.
