Hygie31 Group, a leading healthcare player, pursues its transformation with the extension of its Dhygietal logistics platform in La Veuve, in the Marne department of France, which has now doubled its surface area and covers some 10,000 m². This strategic 12 million euro investment integrates Exotec's latest-generation automated solution. As such, Hygie31, the first player in the pharmaceutical sector in France to take on this technology, is now equipped with one of the most efficient specialized distribution logistics systems. A strategic project that enables the Group to support its digital business and to provide its subsidiaries with a high value-added tool.
A state-of-the-art logistics solution to support Dhygietal's growth, a French pure player in Healthcare & Beauty e-commerce
cocooncenter.com, taken over by Hygie31 in 2021, has since led to the birth of , Hygie31's e-commerce subsidiary that runs the and e-commerce sites. With Managing Director, Hugues Chanoine, at the helm, Dhygietal, turnover has increased significantly over the last 3 years (+60%), from 47 to 76 million euro. It is now present in 7 European countries.
To anticipate and support its development, Hygie31 extended and upgraded its logistics platform by adding a 5,000 m² extension to its existing warehouse and by investing in the Exotec® automated warehouse solution: its storage capacity is now quadrupled and covers a height of 12 metres, in side which 38 robots move around.
The 12 million euro investment made by Hygie31 marks a milestone in the Group's development strategy, which once again disrupts its market. Thanks to this intentionally-oversized logistics solution, Dhygietal has set itself bold ambitions for the next 3 years: in 2023, Dhygietal was already handling some 1.4 million orders, it aims to increase its productivity sixfold and triple the number of references available, as such ramping up from 23,000 to 70,000.
Hervé Jouves, Hygie31 CEO: "Thanks to this new logistics platform, Hygie31 Group has equipped itself with an up-to-the-minute tool that's totally one of a kind on the pharmacy market and that brings a real competitive edge to its digital business, to its consortia of local pharmacies and to its Pharmacie Lafayette chain. On the employment front, we've also safeguarded Dhygietal employees' working conditions because, as the robots are responsible for recurrent, arduous tasks, staff can focus on value-added tasks".
HygieStore, an unparalleled procurement solution dedicated to the Hygie31 Group's 1,200 French pharmacies.
Today, dispensing pharmacists devote considerable time to back-office tasks, including orders to laboratories for over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty products. Convinced that its role is that of the first healthcare professional point of contact for French citizens, Hygie31 capitalizes on its new tool to free up time for each licensed pharmacist so they can focus on over-the-counter work and healthcare initiatives (prevention, vaccination, screening, patient consultations, etc.).
The first to use this new tool are the 930 pharmacies in Hygie31's regional consortia, which now benefit from the Group's full over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty product package: as such, each pharmacy can offer a wider selection with 23,000 references and the Group's exclusive brands, irrespective of its size or geographical location.
At the start of 2025, the tool will be rolled out to Pharmacies Lafayette and will include a special service: stock clearance offers, brand innovations, new trendsetting brands and last-minute-needs offers. With its incomparable, all-product-inclusive interface, it enables licensed pharmacists to place orders in their multi-brand shopping cart and be delivered within 24/48 hours. By enhancing their range of products on offer, reducing stock and shipping costs, pharmacists save time, optimize stock, cash flow and profitability, and increase customer satisfaction.
As Hygie31 forecasts a ramp-up in volumes between 2025 and 2027, it plans to turn this warehouse into a central procurement platform for the over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty product part specifically for the Pharmacie Lafayette chain.
Last but not least, thanks to its e-commerce sites and its 1,200 pharmacies across France, Hygie31 is also a key ally for laboratories, as it offers them a simple, highly-effective distribution channel. It will also meet the needs of ephemeral and digital brands looking for a distributor to test their market or reach new targets to boost their business.
Pascal Fontaine, Hygie31 Sales Director: "HygieStore enables small-sized pharmacies in our network to access a wide selection of products and brands, which was previously the preserve of the largest pharmacies. This incomparable logistics solution will significantly simplify their procurement while enabling them to meet their patients' growing expectations".
Thomas Genestar, Exotec Managing Director for Western Europe: "We're proud to support Hygie31 in its growth. The Skypod® system enables our customer to increase their storage capacity and improve productivity and, as such, supports their growing business. It meets the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical industry perfectly, by ensuring better traceability and more reliable order picking".
About Hygie31
With combined turnover of 3.3 billion euro in 2024 and over 1,400 pharmacies networked in France and in Spain, Hygie31 is a leading player in the Healthcare sector whose expertise focuses on 4 key business activities:
- Running the 4 Laf Santé Group chains: Pharmacie Lafayette (306 pharmacies), Parapharmacie Lafayette, Optique Lafayette (51 stores) and Médical Lafayette (44 stores)
- Supporting regional consortia of traditional pharmacies: Pharmacorp (562 pharmacies), Pharmacyal (146 pharmacies in the Hauts-de-France region), Magdaléon (104 pharmacies in the Grand Est region) and Quartz (115 pharmacies)
- E-commerce via its subsidiaries: Dhygietal cocooncenter.com and parapharmacielafayette.com) and Distrimed, one of France's leading online medical equipment and medical device suppliers for healthcare professionals
- Developing the Ecoceutics chain of pharmacies network, based in Spain (135 pharmacies)
Hygie31's purpose is to ensure Healthcare is accessible to as many people as possible and to establish pharmacies as the first healthcare point of contact in Europe. The strength and unity of its networks, along with its strong online presence, make it the benchmark player in pharmacy and wellness in France.
Thanks to the support of its financial shareholders Latour Capital and Bpifrance, Hygie31 intends to pursue acquisitions in France and internationally, to develop a real European healthcare ecosystem.
About Exotec
Exotec is an international company specialized in automated solutions for the warehouses of the world's leading brands. The company combines the best hardware and software to offer flexible systems that improve operational efficiency, resilience and operator working conditions. Over 50 brands, leaders in their sector, including Carrefour, Decathlon, Gap and Uniqlo, rely on Exotec to improve their operations across 100 sites around the globe. To find out more, visit: exotec.com
[1] « Half of all licensed pharmacists state that they spend a significant amount of time on back-office tasks, between 30 and 60% of their working day, and 28% spend more than two-thirds of their day on these tasks ». Source: PharmedInsight Institute and Bosphore Sense Agency study, December 2022