UPD is South Africa’s leading full-range pharmaceutical wholesaler and was acquired in 2003 to provide the distribution capability for the group’s healthcare strategy.

UPD business review

UPD fulfils the pharmaceutical supply needs of Clicks, major private hospital groups and 1 020 independent pharmacies.

Clicks is UPD’s single largest customer and accounted for 58.4% of wholesale turnover in the past year, with private hospital groups comprising 36.2% of turnover and independent pharmacies and other channels accounting for the remaining 5.4%. UPD also provides bulk distribution services to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

UPD owns distribution centres located in Gauteng (Roodepoort), Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Gqeberha, with all these facilities being certified to the global ISO9001:2015 standards.

As part of the group’s commitment to carbon neutrality, UPD operates 42 electric vehicles for deliveries in Gauteng and the Western Cape, while solar panels and batteries have been fitted on existing delivery vehicles to power refrigeration, further reducing the carbon footprint.