Robert Coopman
Robert Coopman, while Vice President, Pharmacy at the H. E. Butt Grocery Company (HEB), from 1980 until late 1997, built a chain of pharmacies from three pharmacies in 1980 to over 140 pharmacies in 1997. Aggregate sales volume grew from less than $1 million to over $350 million
per year.
Known for leading edge designs, technologies, work processes and unique marketing, the HEB pharmacies represent the highest per store volumes in the industry. That was achieved while simultaneously delivering superior customer service, profits and return on investment. Providing cultural connections for pharmacists to involve themselves with their local communities was a cornerstone upon which the superior results were achieved.
HEB pharmacy back end systems including warehousing, repackaging, distribution and finance were highly refined and effective. Robert Coopman is sometimes thought of as “the Father of the central fill concept” of filling community pharmacy prescriptions in a highly automated central facility for customer delivery through normal community based outlets. Among chain pharmacies it was first conceived, concept tested and implemented at HEB. It remains a highly productive unit of the company today.
While this market dominance and productivity was being achieved, competitors included Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Eckerd, Kroger, Safeway, K-Mart, Tom-Thumb and Albertson’s, among others. It is significant to recognize that Eckerd, Drug Emporium, Kroger, Tom Thumb and Albertson’s no longer exist in the core HEB market.
Author: Since January of 1998, Robert Coopman has authored a monthly feature column in Chain Drug Review and has served as a consultant to the publisher, Racher Press, in New York. The articles on contemporary topics of interest in the pharmacy industry can been found in either the Pharmacy or General Business section of Chain Drug Review.
Robert is a pharmacist with a degree from The University of Wisconsin. He resides in
San Antonio, Texas.
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