Healthcare company launches digital platform as it sets course for 120m euros sales target
Healthcare 21 has launched two online platforms following the recent acquisition of an e-commerce business creating a number of new jobs in its Leeds sales and marketing head office.
The business has a combined and growing turnover of over 85m euros and 250 staff. It has revised upward its 100m euros target by the end of the year and now has ambitions to reach 120m euros over the next two years investing in new staff and technology following the acquisition of Medscope in October 2017.
HC21 has a sales and marketing head office in Leeds and operations across Ireland, the UK, Germany, Austria with plans for further expansion in Europe.
David Plotts, business development director for HC21, said: “Since our acquisition of the e-commerce platform we have invested time and money creating a new website as well as a number of new positions to generate more momentum, improving user experience and greater market penetration via the new online platforms.
“These two platforms are the next step in building the foundations to continue our ambitious growth strategy. Both sites already have a good presence on Amazon and enjoy good visibility in the primary care sector so we are really looking to kick on. We want to supplement our overall business model which has seen significant recent growth and reach our target of 120m euros over the next two years.”
Healthcare 21 has invested in upgrading the platform’s back end systems to use the latest e-commerce technologies to improve speed, efficiency, improving the overall user experience for the customer.
“Both platforms sell a large range of medical devices and healthcare products predominantly into the primary care sector with customers that include GPs, GP practices, healthcare businesses and emergency services as well as patients and secondary care hospitals,” says Plotts.
“Redeveloping the websites have also given us the opportunity to better engage with our key suppliers and partners such as 3M Littmann, Welch Allyn, BOSCH, SECA and AnD, as well as searching out new and exciting product portfolio’s to further improve our offering.
“Self-care and treatment at home is empowering people with long term conditions to have more control over the management of their health. Having a part of our business that can reach out to the market for customers who may want to buy products and companies who may want to launch them is our next step.
“We work with some of the healthcare sectors best known original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and we also pride ourselves on working closely with both the NHS in the UK and Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland. As part of this we have worked with our suppliers to adapt and improve their offering on our online platforms, something that will only benefit our customers.”
Healthcare 21 was founded by chairman Owen Curtin in 2003 and directly supplied pharmacies, but they struggled due to the limited volumes of sales.
Customers now include the HSE, NHS, hospitals, primary and community care professionals such as occupational therapists, third party suppliers such as veterinary suppliers as well as pharmacy suppliers
