By Nigina Mirbabaeva
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is investing €25 million(US$27.5million) in Pelion Group, a leading Polish pharmaceutical company operating in the wholesale distribution, retail pharma and retail cosmetics markets in Poland and the Baltic states.
The EBRD’s investment will support Pelion Group’s growth strategy, which includes expanding its operations in Poland through new asset acquisitions and developing new products and business lines, including telemedicine and e-commerce. The investment builds on the successful relationship between the EBRD and Pelion Group, and supports the company’s ambitions to become the number one pharmaceutical distributor in Europe.
EBRD Global Head of Manufacturing and Services, Frederic Lucenet said: “This is a very important transaction for the Bank. It strengthens the EBRD’s existing relationship with Pelion Group, which has ambitious plans to grow in the EBRD regions and elsewhere. The Bank’s investment provides Pelion with additional financial options, greater comfort and better quality standards to support the Group’s expansion.”
“The EBRD’s investment will support Pelion Group to develop its telemedicine and digital services, directly broadening access to healthcare services for people across Poland. It is thus a strategic investment aligned with the Bank’s priorities in Poland to support innovation and digitalisation,” added EBRD Head of Poland and the Baltic states Elisabetta Falcetti.
Pelion Group is the leading pharmaceutical distributor in Poland, operating on the market for more than 30 years and employing more than 11,500 members of staff. CEPD, Pelion’s retail arm, is the third-largest pharmacy operator in the European Union, with more than 1,660 pharmacies in Poland, Lithuania and Sweden. Pelion Group has been an EBRD client since 2019.
The EBRD is among the leading institutional investors in Poland. Since the start of its operations in the country in 1991, the Bank has invested more than €13.9 billion in 515 projects in Poland.
