\u201cThis is very much not a concept store,\u201d Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais told journalists on Wednesday evening. \u201cWe are specifically talking about the principle of one model, flexible execution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The design of the store and technology behind it were developed at X, bigly Labs<\/em>, Dis-Chem’s Centre of Excellence, which the company unveiled in November last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll new stores from August 2026 onward will be in this new format. We have purposely been realistic about the execution,\u201d stated Morais.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said that the store was designed with a T-shaped flow to ensure that Dis-Chem\u2019s healthcare features no longer feel ancillary to the pharmacy and retail floor, but were built into the store\u2019s core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vertical stem, or centre aisle, stretches from the entrance all the way to the back of the store, where the dispensary is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This central path is dedicated to what Morais described as \u201cinnovation and value creation\u201d \u2014 where customers will find seasonal products and specials through Dis-Chem\u2019s Better Rewards programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After passing the products on promotion, customers will reach the Health Hub, placed near the intersection of the horizontal and vertical pieces of the T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hub is the welcoming \u201cheart\u201d of the store and a central gateway for patients to enter a digital queue for the pharmacy or clinic services. \u201cYou will have a digital experience in a physical space,\u201d said Morais.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crossbar of the T, the back of the store, visibly elevates the profile of healthcare services, housing the clinics, pharmacies, and financial service options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional retail items carried by Dis-Chem stores, which range from cosmetics to supplements, remain stocked on shelves running horizontally from the sides of the T-shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategically, Morais said the new format was a \u201cdefensive moat\u201d for Dis-Chem because it prominently highlighted their speciality in healthcare services, setting them apart from competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He emphasised that although future stores may require flexible execution based on size, the fundamental principles of the T-shape healthcare delivery model will not be compromised in any new locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The store at Melrose Arch was itself not Dis-Chem\u2019s largest, roughly 800m2<\/sup> according to Morais, who said it was a \u201cgood problem\u201d to implement the new design in a medium-sized space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Dis-Chem outlets around South Africa already feature registered nurses, the pharmacy group said the new store format will add qualified phlebotomists to its staff complement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Craig Swanepoel, Dis-Chem\u2019s Chief Integration and Growth Officer, explained that this was to reduce the overall cost of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These cost savings would allow Dis-Chem to pass on extra value to customers, whether through its Better Rewards programme or simply lower prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swanepoel explained that when a patient goes to Dis-Chem for treatment, they don\u2019t pay the highest fee for a consultation up-front regardless of what care they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, they first reach the Hub, which would direct them to a pharmacist. Should the pharmacist not be able to dispense the necessary care, the patient would be referred to the phlebotomists or the nurse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lizeth Kruger, Dis-Chem\u2019s Clinic Executive, said that all their nurses were also diabetic-qualified, meaning they could advise and administer care to patients diagnosed with diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should the patient need a doctor, such as if the medication they need requires a prescription, the nurse can contact a physician for an \u201cexpress\u201d consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is where the nurse acts as the doctor\u2019s eyes, ears, and hands, and they provide a prescription for the necessary medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if the doctor was not satisfied that they could prescribe medication without a more comprehensive consultation, they could insist upon one via video link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nurses could also refer patients directly for a virtual consultation if needed. Should the doctor still be dissatisfied, they could refer the patient for a physical examination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swanepoel said the doctor\u2019s practices that supplied services to Dis-Chem were independent, and that all necessary regulatory guardrails were in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This ensured there were no incentives, one way or another, for Dis-Chem not to refer patients to doctors, or for doctors to escalate \u2014 or not escalate \u2014 consultations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dis-Chem has announced the launch of its Melrose Arch Health Hub, which will serve as a template for all its future store designs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":645827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[105051,62916,105053,105052,105050],"class_list":["post-645815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-craig-swanepoel","tag-dis-chem","tag-dis-chem-health-hub","tag-lizeth-kruger","tag-rui-morais"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645815"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645815"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":645921,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645815\/revisions\/645921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Clinics and express doctor consultations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dis-Chem-Health-Hub-T-shape-1200x675.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPhotos of Dis-Chem’s Melrose Arch Health Hub<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Rui-Morais-Dis-Chem-Health-Hub.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n