As of the 1st January 2012, when the new Reimbursement Act came into force, the pharmacies faced the necessity to comply with the new regulations. The Act forced the pharmacy owners to look for new ways to promote their businesses. A lot of pharmacies had to modify their marketing strategy to survive on the market and remain competitive. The pharmacy chains tend to consolidate their market position whereas the percentage of individual chemists is decreasing. Individual businesses have to look for such elements of their operation which will distinguish them against the chains and allow to survive. Those outstanding elements should include service quality, developing pharmaceutical care, assisting customers in the decision‑making process and carefully selected location.

Key words: promotion, marketing strategy, pharmacist–patient relation.