The verdict in three sentences
A Berlin pharmacy group (a main pharmacy with branches, plus a purchasing cooperation with partner owners, 9 sites in total) that manages each site separately loses on two fronts: stock-outs that send patients elsewhere and expired products sent for destruction. A custom consolidated stock platform costs 80,000 to 180,000 EUR on the German market (2026 benchmark) and takes 3 to 4 months. It connects to the existing pharmacy management systems rather than replacing them.
What the platform consolidates
Each pharmacy keeps its pharmacy management system for the counter and e-prescription (E-Rezept) workflows. The group platform pulls stock and sales nightly or hourly and handles what single sites cannot see.
| Module | Function | Gain (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Consolidated stock | Quantities per product and site in near real time | Visibility across 9 sites |
| Pooled orders | Aggregated needs to wholesalers such as Phoenix, Noweda, Gehe | 1 to 3 extra points of discount on OTC lines |
| Expiry alerts | Batches at 90, 60 and 30 days | Expired stock cut by 40 to 60% |
| Inter-branch transfers | Move slow stock to the site that sells it | Stock-outs cut by 25 to 40% |
| Reorder points | Based on the last 12 weeks of sales | Less overstock on slow movers |
| Owner dashboard | Margin, turnover, stock value per site | Data-driven purchasing |
Under German rules, an owner may run a main pharmacy and up to three branches; the other sites join through a purchasing cooperation. Batch traceability also matters for recalls and securPharm verification.
2026 pricing: options and benchmarks
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standalone pharmacy systems | Already paid | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR per site | No consolidated view |
| Excel consolidation | 0 | 1 to 2 days of work a week | Week-old data |
| Group module from a system vendor (market benchmark) | 20,000 to 60,000 EUR | 15 to 20% per year | Tied to one vendor |
| Custom build, German agency (market benchmark) | 80,000 to 180,000 EUR | 12,000 to 30,000 EUR maintenance | Yes |
| Kolonell medium custom tier | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Maintenance 75,000 to 120,000 FCFA/month | Remote delivery, fixed scope |
The main risk is the connector to pharmacy systems. If the 9 sites use two different systems, plan two connectors and 2 to 3 extra weeks. GDPR hosting in the EU is a must for any sales data linked to patients.
Timeline over 3 to 4 months
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| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Audit of pharmacy systems and data flows | 2 weeks | Map of available data |
| Design | 2 weeks | Alert and transfer rules signed off |
| Connectors and development | 6 to 8 weeks | Consolidated stock, orders, alerts |
| Pilot on 2 sites | 2 weeks | Stock variances checked by count |
| Rollout to 9 sites | 1 to 2 weeks | Owners and staff trained |
Mini case study
Thomas, owner and head of a 9-site pharmacy group in Berlin (illustrative example), turns over 27,000,000 EUR a year. Expired products represent 0.8% of purchases, about 150,000 EUR a year on 19,000,000 EUR of purchases. Stock-outs cost about 1.5% of sales, roughly 400,000 EUR of revenue and 100,000 EUR of margin. With a 140,000 EUR platform and 20,000 EUR of annual maintenance, the group halves expired stock (75,000 EUR saved) and recovers a third of stock-outs (33,000 EUR of margin). Annual gain of about 108,000 EUR against 160,000 EUR in year one: payback in about 19 months, before counting pooled order discounts.
FAQ
How much does pharmacy group stock software cost in Berlin? Custom builds from German agencies run 80,000 to 180,000 EUR in 2026. Kolonell's medium tier is 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) plus 75,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month of maintenance.
Do we need to replace our pharmacy management systems? No, the platform reads stock and sales from the existing systems. A second connector adds 2 to 3 weeks if sites do not all run the same system.
How do expiry alerts work? Each batch is tracked with its expiry date, with alerts at 90, 60 and 30 days. The system suggests a transfer to the site that sells that product fastest.
Is it GDPR compliant? Yes, if hosted in the EU and limited to stock and anonymized sales data. Patient data stays in the pharmacy systems.
How long until go-live? 3 to 4 months, including a 2-week pilot on 2 sites with a control stock count.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of sites, pharmacy systems and wholesalers, and we will price a scope with a clear budget and a 3 to 4 month timeline. 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.
