Lab centers are rapidly expanding networks

In the first three quarters of 2021, the Helix laboratory in St. Petersburg opened 90 new points in the Russian regions, which is one and a half times more than in the whole of last year. This was reported by the press service of the company. All diagnostic centers were opened on a franchising model. Other players in the laboratory research market also note that the pandemic has spurred the sale of medical franchises.

Medicine in the province

Helix opened the largest number of outlets in January-September 2021 in Moscow (17), St. Petersburg (10) and Yekaterinburg (5). In addition, the company entered 18 new cities, most of the openings were in cities with a population of less than 100 thousand people. In particular, Helix opened in Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic), Izberbash and Kasumkent (Dagestan), Kosulino (Sverdlovsk Region), Budennovsk (Stavropol Territory). The number of cities where the company had not previously been represented increased by 38% compared to the same period in 2020.

“Our statistics confirm the upward trend in demand for the purchase of medical franchises in small towns. In small towns, there is a shortage of quality medicine and laboratory diagnostics, so federal network laboratories have great potential for development in the regions,” says Daria Goryakina, Deputy General DIRECTOR of the Helix laboratory service. According to her, large laboratories can provide high quality research while maintaining low cost of services due to the "scale effect" - the ability to transport biomaterial from anywhere in the country to the company's central laboratories.

According to Helix, franchise buyers can be roughly divided into three groups: entrepreneurs who already have their own operating business, but they are considering another direction in the wake of covid-19 ; entrepreneurs who want to change their business to medical, as their own business has declined due to the pandemic; and people who have savings and open their first business.

The pandemic has spurred growth

The growth in demand for franchises in the field of laboratory diagnostics is also noted by other major market players. This year, a "splash" of applications for the purchase of franchises was recorded in the Invitro laboratory network, Andrey Kondratyukin, director of franchising of the company, told RBC Petersburg. At the same time, the number of actual discoveries (in general, taking into account our own laboratories) for the first three quarters of 2021 remained at the same level as last year. This year, in January-September, the company opened 136 centers, in the past - 133. As explained in Invitiro, part of the franchise openings is scheduled for the end of 2021.