Rigla-Zdravcity has 97 franchised pharmacies

At the end of the third quarter of 2026, the Rigla-Zdravcity group had 97 franchised pharmacies. Oleg Bersenev, the group’s First Deputy CEO, gave the figure to Forbes Franchises in an article published on 10 November. It illustrates the scale of the franchise operation at one of Russia’s largest pharmacy groups: the programme has been running for more than a decade, but remains a small part of the business by outlet count.

How the franchised pharmacies are distributed

According to Bersenev, 34 of the 97 franchised pharmacies operate under the Zdravcity brand and another 22 under Rigla. The remaining 41 belong to the Bud Zdorov brand. The franchise programme therefore spans three brands, with Bud Zdorov accounting for the largest number of franchised outlets.

The group has been developing its franchise business since 2013. These figures show the size of the franchise network at the end of the third quarter, not the number of openings during 2026. They do not reveal how many entrepreneurs joined the programme in recent months, or how many pharmacies were newly established rather than rebranded.

This is an important distinction for those assessing Russia’s franchise market. A network of 97 operating pharmacies demonstrates the scale of an established programme, but does not in itself show how quickly it is expanding. Growth can only be assessed by comparing franchise outlet numbers at different dates and accounting for outlets that have left the network.

A large group with a small franchise operation

Rigla-Zdravcity ranks second in the pharmacy chain ranking compiled by analytics company RNC Pharma. According to its data, the group had a total of 7,357 outlets as at 1 July 2026. Franchised pharmacies therefore represent only a small part of its footprint.

However, the total outlet count and the number of franchised pharmacies should be compared with caution: the former relates to the beginning of July, while the latter refers to the end of September. It would be incorrect to use them to calculate a precise franchise share for a single reporting date. That would require the group’s total pharmacy count at the end of the third quarter.

According to Forbes, Rigla-Zdravcity is currently the only one of Russia’s three largest pharmacy groups to offer a franchise. This distinguishes it from the other leading groups, but does not mean that smaller chains have no franchise offerings. The claim applies specifically to the top three, not to Russia’s entire pharmacy sector.

The size of the group and the size of its franchise operation answer different questions. The first helps establish its overall market presence; the second shows the extent to which it works with independent entrepreneurs. Prospective franchisees should consider both measures without treating them as interchangeable.

Why more pharmacies does not mean more franchises

The franchise programme is developing against a backdrop of rising pharmacy numbers across Russia. According to marketing agency DSM Group, the country had 85,787 pharmacies in June 2026 — 3,486 more than in the same period a year earlier. These statistics cover pharmacy retail as a whole and do not identify franchised outlets separately.

Growth in pharmacy numbers cannot therefore automatically be taken as evidence of an expanding franchise sector. Such a conclusion would require separate data on franchise openings. The overall statistics also do not reveal how much of the increase came from the largest groups, regional chains or independent entrepreneurs.

Vladimir Bespalov, Development Director at RNC Pharma, notes that virtually all large and medium-sized pharmacy chains have tried launching franchise programmes at various times. In his assessment, however, even major players have managed to attract only dozens of franchisees, and sometimes just a handful. He also points to cases in which franchise programmes were discontinued or their format substantially changed.

Against this backdrop, Rigla-Zdravcity’s figures provide a concrete benchmark: a long-running programme and a large overall network can coexist with a limited number of franchised pharmacies. This does not support any conclusion about the profitability of individual outlets — network size is no substitute for franchisees’ financial results.

What prospective franchisees should check

Entrepreneurs considering a pharmacy franchise should assess brand recognition separately from the terms of the franchise arrangement. In this case, franchised pharmacies operate under three brands. Before choosing one, it is worth checking which options are available for the proposed town or city and premises, and how the requirements and each party’s obligations differ.

The experience of existing franchisees is a separate consideration. To assess the programme, prospective investors should request figures for openings and closures over the same period, information on how long outlets take to reach their targets, and details of the support provided. These offer a more meaningful basis for comparing franchise opportunities than a single headline outlet count.

Practical takeaway: Rigla-Zdravcity’s 97 operating franchised pharmacies indicate the scale of its franchise programme, but do not guarantee the success of a new outlet. Any investment decision should follow a review of the chosen brand’s terms, the financial viability of the specific location and the experience of existing franchisees.