The verdict in three sentences
For a pharmaceutical wholesaler supplying 1,100 pharmacies, whether from Algiers, Dubai or London, the useful site combines a credible corporate front for manufacturers and a pharmacy area where pharmacists check the 4,000 SKUs, availability and stock-out alerts. Agencies quote roughly USD 15,000 to 45,000 in Dubai and GBP 15,000 to 40,000 in London for this scope over 8 to 12 weeks, the spread coming mainly from the stock system connection. Data residency, required by some manufacturers, and local data protection law must be settled in the brief.
Two audiences, two access levels
The site speaks first to manufacturers and suppliers, local or foreign, who assess the wholesaler's logistics: warehouse space, cold chain, regional coverage, delivery frequency. It speaks next to community pharmacists, who want to know before 10 am whether a product is in stock and when a shortage will end. Mixing both audiences on the same pages blurs the message.
| Module | Content | Access | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate presentation | History, licences, warehouses, fleet, coverage | Public | Essential |
| Manufacturer area | Logistics capacity, quality procedures, purchasing contacts | Public, qualified form | High |
| Pharmacy catalogue | 4,000 SKUs, generic name, form, pack size | Logged-in pharmacist | Essential |
| Availability and shortages | Status per product, expected return date | Logged-in pharmacist | Essential |
| Alerts | Email or SMS on watched products | Logged-in pharmacist | High |
| Documents | Delivery notes, statements, circulars | Logged-in pharmacist | Medium |
| Careers | Pharmacy technicians, drivers, pharmacists | Public | Medium |
The catalogue only appears after login, with an account tied to a verified pharmacy. In the UK, that matches the expectations of a wholesale dealer licence holder under MHRA rules; in the UAE, it keeps prescription-only product information away from the public as health authority rules expect.
Market prices in USD and GBP
The 2026 orders of magnitude below come from agency quotes for comparable scopes.
| Line item | Dubai (USD) | London (GBP) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilingual corporate site | 5,000 to 12,000 | 5,000 to 11,000 | EN and AR in Dubai, RTL layout |
| Pharmacy area with accounts and rights | 4,000 to 14,000 | 4,000 to 12,000 | Pharmacy verification by sales team |
| Import of 4,000 SKUs | 1,500 to 5,000 | 1,500 to 4,500 | File from the stock system |
| Stock sync and alerts | 3,000 to 12,000 | 3,000 to 11,000 | Hourly or daily |
| Indicative total | 15,000 to 45,000 | 15,000 to 40,000 | Excluding hosting and support |
| In-country hosting | 1,500 to 5,000 per year | 1,200 to 4,000 per year | UAE or UK data centre |
| Support and maintenance | 400 to 1,500 per month | 350 to 1,300 per month | By service level |
The most uncertain line is the stock system sync. An automatic hourly CSV export costs little. A real-time link to a legacy ERP without an API can double the budget. Ask bidders to price both scenarios. For reference, an Algiers agency would quote the same scope at 400,000 to 1,200,000 DZD.
Kolonell handles this type of site within its institutional websites practice, on request only, after reviewing your stock system and hosting requirements.
Data residency and personal data
Pharmacist accounts hold names, phone numbers and addresses, so local law applies: the UAE Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021 on personal data, UK GDPR with the Data Protection Act 2018, or Law 18-07 in Algeria. You need a privacy notice in the relevant languages, retention rules and a lawful basis for alerts. Some manufacturers also require data to stay in-country, which points to a local data centre or a cloud region in the UAE or UK. Allow 2 to 4 weeks for these steps within the 8 to 12 week plan.
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Omar, commercial director of a pharmaceutical wholesaler in Dubai, receives about 900 calls every morning from pharmacists asking about availability. Each call lasts about 2 minutes, or 30 hours a day for his telesales team. If the pharmacy area absorbs 40% of those calls, it frees 12 hours a day, about 3,000 hours over 250 working days. At a loaded cost of USD 18 an hour, the saving reaches USD 54,000 a year. A USD 30,000 project including hosting pays back in about 7 months, and the team can spend that time taking orders rather than answering queries. A London operator at GBP 20 an hour would save about GBP 60,000 a year on the same volumes.
FAQ
Can the catalogue be public?
It is not advised for a wholesaler. Access limited to verified pharmacies, here 1,100 accounts, protects commercial terms and limits public exposure of medicine information.
Do we need an Arabic version in Dubai?
Yes for the corporate pages, since authorities and part of the trade work in Arabic. It adds roughly 15 to 25% to design cost.
Is in-country hosting mandatory?
Not for every site, but some manufacturers require it by contract. Local hosting runs about USD 1,500 to 5,000 or GBP 1,200 to 4,000 a year.
How often should stock update?
Hourly sync is enough in most cases. For products under supply pressure, a 15-minute refresh cuts pointless calls.
What timeline should we plan?
Allow 8 to 12 weeks, including 2 to 4 weeks for data protection steps and validation with pilot pharmacies.
Let's scope your project. Describe your stock system, pharmacy count and hosting requirements, and we will scope the corporate site and pharmacy area over 8 to 12 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
