身边的药店，为何比饮品店还多？

Group 1 - The number of retail pharmacies in China has surpassed 640,000 as of May 2023, significantly outnumbering new tea beverage stores, which total approximately 515,000 [1][2] - The retail pharmacy market in China generated sales of approximately 542.1 billion yuan in 2022, marking a year-on-year growth of 10.2%, the highest in five years [1][2] - In December 2022 alone, the retail pharmacy market experienced explosive growth, with monthly sales exceeding 80 billion yuan and a year-on-year increase of 82% [2] Group 2 - The surge in pharmacy numbers can be traced back to a 2017 policy that mandated public hospitals to sell drugs at zero markup, effectively transferring a significant portion of the pharmaceutical market to retail pharmacies [4][7] - The separation of prescription rights from hospitals has allowed pharmacies to sell prescription drugs, which were previously restricted, thus increasing their market share [16][25] - From 2018 to 2022, spending on medications from retail pharmacies rose from 164.5 billion yuan to 248.4 billion yuan, increasing their share of total medical expenses from 13.55% to over 15% [17] Group 3 - The rapid growth of pharmacies has led to intense competition, with many pharmacies employing various promotional strategies to attract customers, such as free health tests and discounts [30][31] - Despite the increasing number of pharmacies, profitability remains a challenge, with many chains reporting average net profit margins of only around 5% [33][35] - The pharmacy market in China is currently oversaturated, with a ratio of one pharmacy for every 3,000 people, compared to the international standard of one for every 6,000 people [38]