Interview

Taco van Witsen was the co-owner of three pharmacies in Amsterdam. When his partner stopped working as a pharmacist, it was time for Taco to review the situation and look for a new strategic partner.

Taco contacted several parties about working together, and eventually ended up with OCTA Pharmacy Group.

"I opted to sell my pharmacies to OCTA because they cared about what I wanted. They offered me the best prospects."

Even after the pharmacies were sold, he remains involved in what he has built up over 25 years.

"I really enjoy working as a pharmacist. There’s never a dull moment, especially in a city like Amsterdam. And I am still far too young and ambitious to put my feet up."

"With OCTA, I am still active in 'my' pharmacies, but within a different system. I formally transferred control to the group by bringing my pharmacies into the OCTA Group. But at the same time, I got the opportunity to reinvest in the whole group as a shareholder."

Taco now wants to apply the knowledge he has gained from having three pharmacies working together on a larger scale within the group.

"Behind the scenes, we have opportunities to strengthen our position in primary care. At the same time, I think it’s important that all OCTA pharmacies can retain their own identity. The bond we have built with our employees and patients in the neighbourhood over the years is unique, and we want to preserve it."