Blooms The Chemist has marked its expansion into the Northern Territory with four community pharmacy stores now operating across the City of Darwin, including Darwin Galleria, Darwin Plaza, Parap and Bakewell, creating 50 new jobs.

To mark the launch, the Lord Mayor of Darwin, the Hon. Kon Vatskalis, joined Blooms The Chemist pharmacist, Claire Ross at a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the Blooms The Chemist Galleria in the city’s CBD.

“Blooms The Chemist offers a range of important health services including blood pressure evaluation, diabetes monitoring, sleep apnoea testing, iron screening and perinatal advice, with a strong purpose to improve outcomes around the two biggest health concerns in the Territory – diabetes and high blood pressure,” Ross said.

Free local delivery, medication packing, Indigenous health support, and medication reviews are also part of the community pharmacy’s services to locals.

“Our Blooms The Chemist pharmacies expand the reach and support of community pharmacy in the Darwin area, providing essential health skills, knowledge and recommendations, working closely with other healthcare specialists in the Territory,” she added.

“We have pharmacists and pharmacy assistants across our stores who speak Nepalese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek and Thai, which has been of huge benefit to our culturally and linguistically diverse customers, where we make the time to converse in their native language and educate on a range of health matters.”

Blooms The Chemist CEO, Emmanuel Vavoulas said, “We’re delighted to be expanding our Blooms The Chemist network into the Northern Territory. Our goal is to contribute to the ever-changing healthcare landscape, supporting and enabling our pharmacists to thrive as they serve and improve the health outcomes of their local communities.

“Pharmacy is an increasingly important part of our communities and improving health outcomes for everyone. We’re excited to have four new stores in Darwin that will have a positive impact on the delivery of health services in the Top End.”

Throughout the month of June, Blooms The Chemist Darwin Galleria, Blooms The Chemist Darwin Plaza and Blooms The Chemist Bakewell will donate $5 for every customer who makes a $50 in-store over the counter purchase. Customers will receive a token and place it in one of four jars representing the chosen charities, which include CareFlight NT, Make-A-Wish Australia, Gidget Foundation Australia and The Butterfly Tree (Zambia).