When medicine can’t wait: How Pelikan Pharmacy brings care to customers with Wolt

Pelikan Pharmacy tripled its delivery volume by partnering with Wolt to bring fast service into a regulated, high-trust environment. Instead of bolting delivery onto the business, the team integrated it into existing pharmacy workflows, protecting standards while reaching new customers. The outcome shows how the right delivery partner can support growth without changing how a pharmacy operates.

People don’t visit a pharmacy when things are going well.

They come in when they’re tired, uncomfortable, or unsure of what to do next. Sometimes they’re worried. Sometimes they just need someone to take the problem seriously and help them move on with their day. In those moments, reassurance matters just as much as the medicine itself.

At Pelikan Pharmacy in Berlin, this understanding shapes how the business operates. The group is part of ELAC, Germany’s largest pharmacy corporation, where membership is limited to pharmacies that meet high standards for quality, scale, and digital systems. Being part of the network brings credibility, but it also brings pressure to perform consistently every day, at volume, and without compromising care.

Across three locations, the team serves several hundred customers every day. Some have been coming in for more than 30 years. Others are discovering Pelikan for the first time. What they all expect is to be listened to and looked after.

For owner Hani Ayada, finding the right balance between care and efficiency is something he takes very seriously. 

“Since I was a child, I wanted to become either a doctor or a pharmacist,” he says. “I always wanted to help people with their daily needs.”

How delivery fit into the pharmacy; not the other way around

When people are sick, they need medicine straight away.

“The problem is time. When you’re sick, you don’t want to wait,” Hani says.

That reality started to shape expectations around the pharmacy. Customers wanted their medicine sooner: often the same day, sometimes within hours.

Pelikan’s first response was to manage delivery themselves. With three in-house drivers, the team could serve nearby customers and stay fully in control of the experience. 

Once they reached the limits of running delivery in-house, the next step was to find a way to extend reach without compromising how the pharmacy works.

That principle shaped how Pelikan began working with Wolt. Wolt instantly fit into Pelikan’s existing workflow. Orders flow directly into the pharmacy’s POS system, triggering an audible notification the team recognizes immediately. Staff can see items, quantities, and product images at a glance, scan products during preparation, and have each order checked by a pharmacist. Most are ready for pick-up within around 14 minutes.

“The system is very easy to use,” Hani adds. “Everyone can work with it, even our trainees.”

When online orders lead people back to the counter

Today, roughly 60% of all over-the-counter medicine deliveries run through Wolt, while the pharmacy’s own drivers continue to handle the rest.

The partnership has also opened the door to a new audience. Many younger customers now order from Pelikan while they’re at work or visiting friends and family. For many of them, the first interaction with the pharmacy happens online.

“People often come in after ordering online,” Hani says. “They want to see the pharmacy.”

Pelikan also uses Wolt’s marketing tools to stay visible across Berlin, not just in the immediate neighborhood. Promotions help introduce the pharmacy to new customers, while consistent presence reinforces the brand for returning ones.

“We don’t want to reach just one area,” Hani says. “We want to reach all of Berlin.”

Looking ahead, Hani remains focused on expansion both digitally and physically. A fourth pharmacy is still part of the plan, along with continued investment in systems that help the team work efficiently and confidently.

“Pelikan and Wolt want the same thing,” Hani says. “To grow, to improve, and to serve people faster.”

For Pelikan Pharmacy, partnering with Wolt wasn’t about becoming something new. It was about making the process smoother, meeting modern expectations, and extending the care they were already known for.