Mercury Drug
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Mercury Drug is the leading chain of drugstores in the Philippines.
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[edit] History
The company began in 1945 with a single store owned by Mariano Que. He named it after Mercury, the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology and whose staff, the caduceus, is sometimes used as a symbol of medicine.
In 1945, Mercury Drug cut packaged bulk items into single pieces and began to sell them individually. This practise is colloquially called "tingi-tingi" in Filipino.
In 1963, upon the invitation of Ayala Corporation, Mercury Drug opened its second branch in May 1963 at a developing commercial center in Makati (now known as the Ayala Center).
In 1965, Mercury Drug established its landmark branch in Quiapo, Manila.
Mariano Que now has a new building, MDC100.
[edit] Innovations
It introduced many "firsts" in the Philippine drugstore industry:
- 1948: Motorized customer delivery service
- 1952: 17-hour, 7 days a week drugstore service
- 1963: Self-service drugstore
- 1965: 24-hours, 7 days a week service
- 1967: Computerized temperature-controlled central warehouse
- 1969: Biological refrigerators to preserve life-saving medicines
- 1976: Expansion throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
[edit] Bibliography
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