Al Nahdi has around 1,150 stores throughout Saudi Arabia RIYADH: Al Nahdi Medical Co., Saudi Arabia’s largest pharmacy group, is planning to extend its services into a full range of primary care offerings, including giving access to doctors online as the company prepares to list on the Saudi bourse. Al Nahdi, which has around 1,150 stores throughout the Kingdom, recently launched an e-pharmacist service, which allows its customers to speak with a pharmacist through its app. “We are the closest to people,” CEO Yasser Joharji said in an interview with Arab News. “We understand them. We have the digital capability. So, we want to establish a primary healthcare ecosystem, empowered by technology and data to provide our guests with the service they need where they are, at any time they want.” He describes the approach as “omni-health,” a reflection of its ambition to provide its services via any channel its customers demand. “We don’t separate the different parts of our business,” said Joharji, referring to its bricks and mortar and online offerings. “For you as a patient, they’re all one and the same.” Saudi Arabia"s Capital Market Authority, known as CMA, approved the share offering of Al Nahdi Medical on December 29, giving it 6 months to go to market. Jeddah-based Al Nahdi will offer as many as 39 million shares – a 30-percent stake – in an initial public offering. Nahdi was founded by Abdullah Amer Al Nahdi in 1986 and is 50 percent owned by Jeddah-based Islamic investment firm Sedco Holding, according to information on its website. The company’s value is more than 10 billion riyals ($2.67 billion) in equity, two separate sources told Reuters last year Its pharmacy network stretches across 145 cities and villages across the Kingdom, and it recently expanded into the UAE. “This will be a very important market for us, said Yasser when referring to the UAE. Other markets will be considered “when the time comes”, he said. “We are relentlessly searching around the world to bring the latest in technology, products, health and wellness services,” said Joharji. “We have evolved from a simple pharmacy into an integrated, omnichannel, multi-touchpoint business. You can get your service through your pharmacy next door to you but you can equally get our service through our application and our product can be delivered to your doorstep.”