Earlier this week Blooms The Chemist announced its expansion into the Northern Territory, with four new stores expected to create 50 new jobs.
The new stores will operate across the City of Darwin, including Darwin Galleria, Darwin Plaza, Parap and Bakewell.
To mark the launch, the Lord Mayor of Darwin, the Hon. Kon Vatskalis, joined Blooms The Chemist’s Pharmacist Claire Ross at a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the Blooms The Chemist Galleria in the Smith Street Mall in the city’s CBD.
“Blooms The Chemist offers a range of important health services including blood pressure evaluation, diabetes monitoring, sleep apnoea testing, iron screening and perinatal advice, with a strong purpose to improve outcomes around the two biggest health concerns in the Territory – diabetes and high blood pressure,” said Claire Ross, the Pharmacist and Proprietor of Blooms The Chemist Darwin Galleria and Blooms The Chemist Darwin Plaza.
Free local delivery, medication packing, Indigenous health support, and medication reviews are also part of the community pharmacy’s services to locals.
“Our Blooms The Chemist pharmacies expand the reach and support of community pharmacy in the Darwin area, providing essential health skills, knowledge and recommendations, working closely with other healthcare specialists in the Territory,” Ms Ross adds.
“We have Pharmacists and pharmacy assistants across our stores who speak Nepalese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek and Thai, which has been of huge benefit to our culturally and linguistically diverse customers, where we make the time to converse in their native language and educate on a range of health matters.”
Emmanuel Vavoulas, Blooms The Chemist’s CEO, said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our Blooms The Chemist network into the Northern Territory. Our goal is to contribute to the ever-changing healthcare landscape, supporting and enabling our Pharmacists to thrive as they serve and improve the health outcomes of their local communities.
“Pharmacy is an increasingly important part of our communities and improving health outcomes for everyone. We’re excited to have four new stores in Darwin that will have a positive impact on the delivery of health services in the Top End.”
Industry Celebration
To celebrate this important milestone, Blooms The Chemist is hosting an industry dinner on the evening of Friday 3 June with local pharmacists, colleagues and suppliers, which includes a Q&A hosted by Emmanuel Vavoulas with Nova Peris OAM, a former Aboriginal Australian athlete and politician.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s Northern Territory Branch Director, Keely Quinn, welcomed Blooms The Chemist’s expansion in the Top End.
“We welcome Blooms The Chemist into the Northern Territory and congratulate the teams at these community pharmacies for this significant milestone. The addition of this well-known brand strengthens our network of community pharmacies and provides positive health outcomes for Territorians, through the range of provided health services and personalised advice.”
Local Charity Drive
Throughout the month of June Blooms The Chemist Darwin Galleria, Blooms The Chemist Darwin Plaza and Blooms The Chemist Bakewell will donate $5 for every customer who makes a $50 over the counter purchase instore.
Customers will receive a token and place it in one of four jars representing the chosen charities, which includes CareFlight NT.
“The charity drive is an important part of delivering on our purpose at Blooms The Chemist,” adds Ms Ross.
“As we build our presence in the Top End, raising funds for an organisation like CareFlight NT, whose mission is to save lives, perfectly aligns with our purpose to serve the local community.”
CareFlight NT General Manager Philip Roberts welcomed the generous opportunity from Blooms The Chemist.
“We’re grateful to the team for its commitment to Territorians. It’s a great initiative, with locals looking after their healthcare needs while also helping to raise vital funds so CareFlight can continue saving lives in the NT.”
The other three charities to benefit from this fundraising initiative include long-term Blooms The Chemist partners – Make-A-Wish Australia, Gidget Foundation Australia and The Butterfly Tree (Zambia).
