Swedish retailer Axfood has announced that board member Ann Carlsson is stepping down from her position, following the company's decision to enter the pharmacy market.
Carlsson, who is CEO of state-owned pharmacy retail chain Apoteket, sees the move as a conflict of interest.
“I have been aware of Axfood’s plans for some time, but have taken care to not participate in discussions when the topic of an online pharmacy has come up,” said Carlsson.
“As Axfood has now decided to go in as one of three part owners in the newly started company Hubia, it therefore feels natural that I should step down. It is not quite compatible with my ordinary role as CEO of Apoteket AB.”
Pharmacy Market
Last week, Axfood announced its plans to launch a new online pharmacy service, alongside Axel Johnson’s investment company Novax and online contact lens retailer LensOn.
The new service, Hubia, will offer a 'broad and attractive' range of pharmacy products online, the company said, 'at low prices, with fast and secure deliveries, and with innovative peripheral services that contribute to a unique customer experience'.
The pharmacy market in Sweden is valued at around SEK 40 billion, with the e-commerce segment growing at the fastest rate.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up for ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
