Mannings wins at Retail Asia Awards 2024 for healthcare programme, ESG initiative

Its initiatives tackle critical ESG concerns and offer accessibility to end users and productivity to corporations.

Health and beauty product chain store Mannings received two accolades at the coveted Retail Asia Awards 2024 for the successful implementation of its business-to-business healthcare programme PharmaCare, and its initiative that deals with the safe disposal of unused medicines.

The PharmaCare programme, which brought the company the Health & Wellness Initiative of the Year - Hong Kong category win, has been launched since March last year, focusing on handling eight common minor illnesses with professional consultation by in-house pharmacists and free medication.

Unique to other pharmacy services, PharmaCare is tailored for corporations as an additional health service option to safeguard employee health and wellness at an affordable cost. It is also the first healthcare programme supporting parents and domestic helpers of employees.

Visiting pharmacists to treat illnesses is a previously uncommon practice, as more than half of citizens usually visit general practitioners in hospitals or clinics four to six times a year. This has led to an overburdened primary healthcare system and inefficient patient care. PharmaCare has addressed this in such a way that after launch, 57% of the programme’s users have indicated that they are confident in visiting a pharmacist to handle minor illnesses.

Now, the programme serves over 28,000 users in Hong Kong and Macau, with users’ survey showing a 4.8 out of 5 satisfaction rating. It has also recorded 16,000 visits, with 52% of the visits by family members and domestic helpers, and 42% of visits happening outside usual clinic working hours.

Mannings aspires to enhance different dimensions of PharmaCare to capture upcoming opportunities. On programme design, it is exploring the potential of expanding the scope of minor ailments and extending user coverage to siblings. Supplementary services such as travel consultation with medicine kits and wellness workshops can also be incorporated to create a more holistic programme.

Whilst for user reach, with the successful introduction of PharmaCare to corporates, it is planning to extend the programme to SMEs that are unable to afford medical insurance for staff, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and education institutes.

“PharmaCare is not only a business extension, but also the first step for Mannings to pivot from a traditional retailer to a trusted curator of everything health & beauty,” the company said.

Meanwhile, Mannings has also embarked on an initiative in April 2023 to address the critical issue of safe drug disposal, which comes amidst threats to the environment and community health caused by improper handling of unused medicines. This initiative has flourished through its partnership with NGO JCI Tai Ping Shan (JCITPS).

Mannings has provided convenient collection stations for expired or unwanted medicines in 26 designated Mannings stores across major districts in Hong Kong. The unused pills collected were sent to an authorised organisation for safe and responsible destruction, safeguarding the environment and wellbeing of the community.  

The store also provided free professional counselling services delivered by the Mannings pharmacist team, assisting the public with medication-related enquiries. On the education front, Mannings took the opportunity to run a multifaceted education campaign encompassing publicity, social media, in-store promotions, and engagement with primary and secondary schools. Mannings aimed to raise awareness and educate the community about the importance of safe drug disposal practices, hoping to reduce pharmaceutical waste at source.

Educational seminars were organised and reached 3,300 primary and secondary school students, teaching the younger generation about the environmental and health impacts of improper medicine disposal whilst promoting responsible disposal practices. The NGO has reported a record collection of over 1.8 million pills or capsules during the programme period, in which over 1.1 million pills were collected by Mannings. 

Building on its success, Mannings plans to expand its collection stations to more outlets, ensuring that proper disposal facilities are accessible to an even wider audience across Hong Kong.

“By amplifying our message and encouraging proactive participation, we seek to instil a culture of responsible medication disposal amongst Hong Kong residents,” the company said.

This initiative on safe drug disposal earned the company the win in the ESG Initiative of the Year - Hong Kong category.

Retail Asia Awards honours companies that have recently launched innovative retail projects or initiatives, as well as industry leaders that have propelled their respective brands to maintain a competitive edge.

The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].