Proxim is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 group of pharmacists located in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 and to a lesser extent in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and the Maritimes provinces. Proxim competes with Jean Coutu

Jean Coutu Group

The Jean Coutu Group Inc. is a Canadian drugstore chain headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec. It has more than 360 franchised locations in New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec under the PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique and PJC Santé Beauté banners...

, Pharmaprix/Shoppers Drug Mart

Shoppers Drug Mart

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....

, Uniprix

Uniprix

Uniprix is a Quebec pharmacy chain founded in 1977 and based in Saint-Leonard, Montreal . It operates under four brands: Uniprix, Unipharm, Clinique Santé and Uniclinique...

, Brunet

Brunet (pharmacy)

Brunet is a group of pharmacists in Quebec, Canada.-History:Brunet's slogan, "En santé depuis 150 ans", is a double entendre and it is representative of the group's longevity. Wilfrid-Étienne Brunet founded the first Brunet pharmacy in 1855 in Quebec City, the largest one at the time...

 and Familiprix

Familiprix

Familiprix is a Canadian group of independent pharmacists.-History:Médico-Prix started in 1977 in Eastern Quebec. It was renamed Familiprix on 17 October 1979. In the mid-1990s, it expanded into Montreal. Today, Familiprix has more than 250 locations in Quebec and New Brunswick...

. The average Proxim drug store is 4000 square feet (371.6 m²).

Proxim is the third largest pharmacy in Quebec, in terms of number of stores, after Jean Coutu and Uniprix . All Proxim stores are owned by independent pharmacists that comply with Proxim's business rules and practices. Proxim's private brand is called "Reserve" and the company also has its loyalty card program.

There are close to 270 drug stores in Eastern Canada that carry the Proxim name.

History

On August 2004, two companies - Groupe Essaim and Gestion Santé Services Obonsoins Inc - regrouped to form Groupe PharmEssor. The three pharmacy chains affected by this merger - Essaim, Obonsoins and Santé Services - were initially kept separate and intact by PharmEssor. However on February 2006, PharmEssor consolidated all of its operations under a single banner, Proxim, hence eliminating the previous banners. The name "Proxim" was inspired from the word "proximity" to describe the group's great accessibility to pharmaceutical care

Pharmaceutical care

Pharmaceutical care is the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient's quality of life...

s. Indoor mall locations were not renamed as Proxim and were sold to Pharmaprix

Shoppers Drug Mart

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....

 instead.

One year after the creation of Proxim, the Proximed banner was created on February 2007. Thus, an estimate of 30 selected locations operate today under the name Proximed.

On June 19, 2008, McKesson Canada acquired Proxim.