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Updated 15 October 2026: revised and expanded with practical context and dated sources. Original publication date retained.
Clicks began with its first store in 1968. Its corporate history explains the gap between Jack Goldin's original drugstore ambition and the later ability to operate corporate-owned pharmacies. Clicks Group records the first Clicks pharmacy opening in 2004 following the legislative change.
For further context, see South African retail companies.
The group distinguishes retail pharmacy through Clicks from pharmaceutical wholesaling through UPD. That relationship helps explain the operating system behind the customer-facing brand. A pharmacy needs both service at the counter and dependable product availability.
For further context, see Netflorist · South Africa’s pharmaceutical industry.
Historical store totals and market shares should keep their reporting dates rather than being presented as current indefinitely. The stronger business account follows the change in model and the capabilities needed to deliver it. The section below explains the connection between regulation, distribution and retail execution and the simpler stock-availability lesson that another retailer can apply without entering the pharmaceutical business.
For further context, see Woolworths’ business history.
Original references
official history · eBook: 50 South African Entrepreneurs Reveal HOW THEY MADE IT
The link between retail pharmacy and distribution
Clicks Group's profile distinguishes its retail pharmacy business from pharmaceutical wholesaling through UPD. It also records the first Clicks pharmacy opening in 2004 after the change permitting corporate pharmacy ownership. That timeline helps explain why a store founded in 1968 did not immediately operate the later pharmacy model.
The commercial relationship is important. A pharmacy needs appropriate stock and dependable replenishment; the distribution operation must receive, store and deliver products under the relevant requirements. Customer-facing service depends partly on work the shopper never sees. A successful brand therefore needs an operating chain behind the shopfront, not just recognisable signage.
A smaller retailer can apply the same principle without entering pharmaceuticals. Identify the products customers expect to find, establish reliable suppliers and decide what happens when the usual supply fails. Track availability and the cost of emergency orders. Additional outlets amplify both strengths and weaknesses in replenishment. Clicks' history is most useful when it connects a regulatory change, a strategic acquisition and a different operating model. Old store totals and historical market shares should retain their dates rather than appearing as undated measures of the present group.
Sources and further reading: The link between retail pharmacy and distribution — reference.
