Resurfacing a January 2023 move: Reliance Retail took Netmeds offline with first Chennai pharmacy store

Resurfacing a January 2023 development, Reliance Retail had opened a Netmeds store in Chennai, extending its e-pharmacy brand into physical retail and marking its entry into offline pharmaceutical retail.

— Filed Mon, 17 Aug, 2026, 14:18 IST · First seen Mon, 17 Aug, 2026, 14:18 IST · Source Inc42 · Quick Commerce

What happened

Reliance Retail entered offline pharmaceutical retail by opening a Netmeds store in Chennai, extending the e-pharmacy brand into physical retail.

Why this matters

Reliance may seek healthcare-service, diagnostics, clinic or last-mile logistics partners to make Netmeds stores more differentiated than standalone pharmacies.

What to watch

  • Number and cadence of additional Netmeds store openings, especially whether Chennai sees a cluster rather than a single pilot.
  • Evidence that Netmeds app orders can be collected from or fulfilled by physical stores.
  • Store format details: prescription counter, OTC assortment, diagnostics, consultation services and integration with other Reliance banners.
  • State drug-license approvals, pharmacist recruitment and any regulatory scrutiny of e-pharmacy-to-store operations.
  • Pricing and delivery-counter moves from Apollo Pharmacy, Tata 1mg, PharmEasy and regional pharmacy chains.
  • Changes in Netmeds GMV, delivery times, repeat ordering, chronic-care customer acquisition or Reliance Retail disclosures on health retail.
  • Open additional Netmeds stores in Chennai before expanding to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR.
  • Integrate store inventory with Netmeds ordering for pickup, same-day delivery and local prescription fulfilment.
  • Position stores near Reliance Smart, JioMart-linked catchments, hospitals, clinics and high-density residential areas.
  • Add diagnostic sample collection, doctor-consultation referrals, chronic-care subscriptions and health-device categories.
  • Use Reliance loyalty, telecom and retail ecosystem offers to cross-sell medicines, wellness and FMCG products.
  • Pursue pharmacist hiring, state drug-license capacity and local distributor relationships to support a scalable offline network.