Shore City Life Pharmacy celebrated a massive refit at the start of August with a grand reopening: complimentary coffees for parents and face painting for the children, gift basket giveaways, gifts with purchases of cosmetics and skincare products, triple loyalty points storewide and spot prizes on offer over the first weekend of August as the store celebrated a new look and the introduction of new brands.
Pharmacist Shariar Jaber is thrilled with the outcome of what has been a massive refurbishment. The store was not run down, he says, but its look was tired and outdated. “It needed not a face lift but a face transplant,” he laughs. It now boasts an expanded natural health section, revamped layout for customers’ favourite cosmetic and skincare brands, and some new ones besides: Dermalogica and Benefit Cosmetics, to name just a couple. The section for over the counter medications has also expanded, he notes.
Overall, the layout is more open and inviting, with wide aisles for accessibility and clear signage to all sections of the pharmacy. “Our customers deserved a refit. It’s about creating an atmosphere that customers enjoy being in.
Shariar came relatively late to being a pharmacist, having made the move from Iran to New Zealand as a 20-year-old, and putting himself through high school as an adult. He then attended university and did his first degree in science, before working in retail. “I enjoyed the interactions with the public in retail,” he says, and liked science, so pharmacy was an obvious next step in his career development. He completed his pharmacy degree at Otago University and moved to West Auckland where he did an internship and was then offered a partnership opportunity at Life Pharmacy in West City, in Henderson.
He has owned the Shore City Life Pharmacy, since 2010, in partnership with Green Cross as a minority shareholder, who he says are very supportive business partners. At the same time, he moved to the Shore, where his boys now attend school.
Just as he loves the Shore (“What’s not to like?” he says) so he enjoys the community feel at Shore City. Shore City he, says, is a unique middle-sized mall, that gives him an opportunity to build relationships with local customers.
“That’s what pharmacy is all about,” he says. “Pharmacy is more than a business; it is where people come to get well and we can help improve the lives of our customers. The Life Pharmacy model is about beauty and health – wellbeing on the inside and outside. People come to us for advice – that’s what we are there for.”
Shariar and his team, led by retail manager Louise Nixon, offer advice on anything from minor ailments and medications, to skincare treatments, smoking cessation or erectile dysfunction consultations, as well as vaccinations, health checks, ear piercing, passport photos and of course, the essential prescription services.
“At the end of the day,” he says, “the whole purpose of this refit is to enhance the experience of our customers, and to help us to improve the quality of life of people we serve.”
Life Pharmacy Takapuna, Shore City, cnr Lake Road and Como Street, Takapuna 09 486 2655
Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; Thur 9am-9pm; Sun 9am-5pm
