Article published in the print edition of Ziarul Financiar on May 22, 2024:

“The Fildas-Catena Group, the largest player in the pharmaceutical market, created by entrepreneur Anca Vlad three decades ago, has reached 14 billion lei cumulative business – pharmacies and pharmaceutical distribution, according to data submitted by the company, related to 2023.

Compared to the previous year, at the group level, Fildas-Catena has almost 2 billion lei more in business, which corresponds to an increase of 14%.

Still, the pharmacy business is larger than the distribution business strictly in terms of turnover, but in 2023 the results of the distribution division were close to a difference of several hundred million lei. Thus, Catena’s 929 pharmacies brought in 7.1 billion lei, while distribution amounted to 6.9 billion lei.

The need for investments is constant, and in 2024 they will aim to develop logistical capacity, pharmaceutical warehouses, as well as business automation, an aspect considered by more and more entrepreneurs.

“Just like in previous years, our most important investments continue to be directed towards the development of IT infrastructure, automation, and logistical capacities, as part of multi-year strategic projects. Another key focus is sustainability, environmental protection, and the use of green energy, adopting the latest principles and technologies available,” Fildas-Catena representatives stated.

A three-decade history of Romanian business

The Fildas-Catena Group is a group built over the last three decades by entrepreneur Anca Vlad and is among the strongest entrepreneurial businesses in Romania.

The entrepreneur set up Fildas Trading in 1993, and six years later, in 1999, she entered the retail business, buying a network of 30 pharmacies in Pitesti (Argeș county).

Anca Vlad’s name has become synonymous with that of a family business ambassador. Although there have been several transactions in the market where competing businesses Catena and Fildas have been taken over by international companies with financial strength, the Catena-Fildas brand has remained a Romanian one. Moreover, the reins of the group are to be taken over by the entrepreneur’s son, Alexandru Vlad, already a minority shareholder in several businesses alongside his mother, according to public data. “We were lucky to have been able to transition the business to the next generation,” Anca Vlad previously told ZF.