Mercury Drug is more than just a pharmacy - it is the country's trusted and caring health and wellness partner, providing the widest range of branded and generic medicines, as well as a complete line of healthcare and personal care products, including medical devices, and basic everyday needs. Through the years, Mercury Drug has opened store after store all over the Philippines to bring medicines within easy reach of its customers. Today, it has grown into a vast network of more than 1,200 stores nationwide with over 15,000 employees, who are continuously trained on product knowledge and customer service.
Mercury Drug began from a bottle of sulfathiazole, which was considered a wonder drug after the war.
It was 1945, and Manila had just been liberated from the Japanese occupation. The city was devastated and medicines were scarce and expensive. Mariano Que, who worked in a drugstore before the war, saw the need. He went to Bambang St., Manila, where the action was then, on advice of a friend, and saw a peddler selling sulfathiazole there. He recognized it as the 'wonder drug' believed to cure all diseases. Seeing a 'W' on the tablets, he knew it was the genuine sulfathiazole. He tried to buy a bottle for P100, the only money in his pocket.
The peddler wanted more but as Mariano Que had only P100, the peddler agreed to sell to him. He then sold these tablets by piece or “tingi-tingi” to make the medicine more affordable. With some profit, he was able to purchase other medicines and eventually a pushcart, which he loaded with his growing supply of pharmaceutical goods.
From these humble beginnings, the first Mercury Drug store opened on March 1, 1945 in Bambang St.
1945. The first Mercury Drug store opened on March 1st in Bambang St., Manila. The following years saw the steady expansion of the Mercury Drug network, with several stores opening year after year.
1948. Mercury Drug introduced a customer delivery service.
1952. Mercury Drug began to operate 7 days a week, 17 hours a day, to provide convenient access to medicines to its customers.
1956. The National Marketing Corporation appointed Mercury Drug as a Namarco Distributor, on the accepted principle that the company sold drugs, medicines and other essential commodities at reasonable prices and much lower than other drugstores.
1958. As a widespread flu epidemic broke out in Manila, Mercury Drug rendered round-the-clock service to meet customer demands for medicines, selling at regular prices, despite the scarcity and lack of life-saving drugs.
1963. The self-service concept was introduced at its very first store in Makati City, which is today the model for all Mercury Drug Stores to ensure customer convenience.
1964. Mercury Drug was named “Retailer of the Year” by the Business Writers’ Association of the Philippines for outstanding performance in the nationwide distribution of drugs and pharmaceuticals.
1965. Gising 24 Oras – Mercury Drug's 24-hour service – was introduced at its Quiapo Plaza Miranda store.
1967. Mercury Drug installed a temperature-controlled warehousing system to ensure the freshness and quality of its stocks, and a computerized system for more efficient inventory management.
1969. Mercury Drug equipped its stores with biological refrigerators to maintain the quality of vaccines and other life-saving medicines and ensure that they are compliant and in adherence to the highest quality standard.
1976. Mercury Drug started operating in Visayas and Mindanao.
1978. The cornerstone of Mercury Drug Head Office in QC was laid.
1981. Mercury Drug’s new spacious warehouse was inaugurated, with a modern packing and delivery system for fast processing and faster delivery.
1982. Mercury Drug inaugurated its head office in Quezon City.
1984. Mercury Drug became the first and only drugstore chain to professionalize its personnel through its DECS- accredited Pharmacy Technician Course.
1988. Mercury Drug makes Gift Certificates available to its customers.
1995. Mercury Drug celebrated its 50th anniversary and gave away Toyota Corollas to six lucky customers in its raffle promo.
1996. Mercury Drug was awarded Employer of the Year by the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
1998. Mercury Drug introduced its exclusive Coupon Calendar, given to its loyal customers to help them organize and manage their schedules, and to help them save on purchases at the stores via discount coupons which they can redeem at any Mercury Drug store.
1999. Gamot Padala Order Online was launched in Mercury Drug’s website, www.mercurydrug.com.
2000. Mercury Drug introduced its free Suki Card, a rewards system for its loyal customers that is fully transferable, without annual membership fees, enabling customers to earn points that can be used as rebates in their next purchases or to redeem exclusive Mercury Drug items. .
2002. mercuryTV was installed in all stores as a public health education service.
2003. Gamot Padala service was introduced by Mercury Drug to offer various options of serving customers’ orders - Call Order Pick-up and Order Anywhere Pick-up Anywhere – in any Mercury Drug store nationwide. A giant electronic billboard was installed at Mercury Drug Quiapo Plaza Miranda, as an outdoor health education and public service. Mercury Drug was inducted in Consumers Union of the Philippines’ Hall of Fame.
2004. Mercury Drug received the Marketing Company of the Year Award at the 25th Agora Awards of the Philippine Marketing Association, Inc.
2005. Mercury Drug was named Outstanding Retailer of Pharmaceutical Products by the Consumers Union of the Philippines and was inducted in the Philippine Retailers Association’s Hall of Fame as one of the Outstanding Filipino Retailers.
2009. Mercury Drug partnered with Citibank for Mercury Drug Citi Card, the first health credit card giving rebates on all purchases at Mercury Drug and other Citibank-accredited establishments as well as joint use with Suki Card at Mercury Drug. The company also partnered with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation for Mercury Drug MyWallet, a Suki Card variant offering the convenience of an ATM card with the rewards of Suki points.
2010. Mercury Drug started offering adult flu vaccinations in stores under the supervision and administration of healthcare professionals.
2011. Mercury Drug’s pharmacy counseling service, in-store or call-in, was made available to help customers with their medication queries on dosage, directions for use, precautions, potential side effects and adverse reactions.
2012. Mercury Drug launched Suki Daybook, an all-in-one annual journal, planner, health and wellness notebook, exclusive to Suki Card members through redemption with Suki points; and its official Facebook and Twitter pages. Its first drive-thru pharmacy service was opened in its San Juan Greenhills Ortigas store. Mercury Drug’s founder, Mariano Que was named “Father of Philippine Health and Wellness Retailing” by the Philippine Retailers Association. /p>
2013. Mercury Drug activated its pharmacy information service which provides basic drug information, written in easy-to-understand layman language, to supplement medical consultations.
2014. Mercury Drug opened its second drive-thru service at its Biñan Southwoods Ecocentrum store. The company was honored with the 2014 Best-of-the-Best Award at Retail Asia’s Top 500 Awards, and as one of the Meralco Luminaries (companies who share Meralco’s vision of nation-building).
2015. Mercury Drug celebrated its 70th anniversary and awarded P1M each to 70 lucky customers in its Suki Panalo raffle promo. It opened its 1000th store in Taguig City Western Bicutan Bayani Road, and its third drive-thru service in Makati City EDSA Danlig. This year also saw the launching of Mercury Drug’s own mobile app to enable fast, easy, and convenient access to its store locations, promotional offers and services. For the second time, Mercury Drug was named Best-of-the-Best at Retail Asia’s Top 500 Awards and given the Customer Service Excellence Award by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association (FAPRA). The company also entered Retail Asia’s Top 3 Ranking in the Top 10 Retailers’ Category by Economy. The Kantar WorldPanel Smart Shopper 2015 Study cited Mercury Drug as Retailer of Choice. University of Santo Tomas conferred an honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities, to Mercury Drug founder, Mariano Que.
2016. Mercury Drug received the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category, in Reader’s Digest 2016 Trusted Brands Survey. It was also awarded Most Recognizable Filipino Brand, Retail Category, in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s 2016 Consumer Research. Another drive-thru store was added to its network with the opening of its Las Piñas Villar SIPAG store. The company achieved another first with the launch of its sticker pack in Viber called Mercury Drug Healthy Vibes, the first Philippines corporate animated Viber stickers.
2017. Mercury Drug opened its 1100th store in Cabuyao City, Laguna at 35 National Highway, Brgy. Banaybanay. It reaped its second Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award (Pharmacy/Drugstore Category) in Reader’s Digest 2017 Trusted Brands Survey, its third Best-of-the-Best Award at Retail Asia’s Top 500 Awards and the Silver Award in Retail Asia’s Top 10 Retailers – Health & Beauty. Campaign Asia-Pacific’s March 2017 Survey named Mercury Drug as Most Recognizable Local Brand. Mercury Drug emerged as finalist in the Employer of Year search by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP).
2018. Mercury Drug launched another first in the pharmacy retail industry – Get Well at Mercury Drug Diabetes Care Corner - a diabetes specialty corner for diabetics and their families in selected stores nationwide, offering a complete assortment of products for diabetics, a counseling service manned by pharmacists trained in diabetes management and on-site demonstrations of monitoring devices on request. This year, Mercury Drug also introduced scan-to-pay technology in its stores via PayMaya and GCash QR for added convenience of customers. Suki Senior Card was also introduced this year for easier transactions of senior citizens, without need to present their senior citizen ID’s and LGU-issued purchase booklets anymore whenever they purchase prescribed medicines in Mercury Drug. The company’s founder, Dr. Mariano Que, was honored as one of the icons of Philippine retailing in the coffee table book, “Legends, Lives and Legacies,” published by the Philippine Retailers Association. For the third year in a row, Mercury Drug garnered the Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category, in Reader’s Digest 2018 Trusted Brands Survey. The company was hailed as Most Trusted Pharmacy Chain in Asia by the International Brand Consulting Corporation, in the 2018 Most Trusted Brands Survey conducted by Media Research Group.
2019. Mercury Drug clinched the Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category, for the fourth time, in Reader’s Digest 2019 Trusted Brands Survey. The new enhanced Mercury Drug Citi Card was launched, with new and refreshed benefits for healthier life choices including a welcome offer of 5,000 Suki points for new applications. Its diabetes specialty corners expanded to 26 stores nationwide.
2020. Mercury Drug won the top award, Gold Quality Service Award, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category, in Reader’s Digest inaugural Quality Service Survey in Asia. It opened its 1200th store in San Juan, Alaminos, Laguna. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary, highlighted by the opening of its Diamond Store at Hercules St. corner Makati Ave., Makati City; introduction of its new mascots Merc and Rian and its new jingle “Sa Mercury Drug Ikaw ay Nakasisiguro.” The 75-day Suki Panalo Anniversary Raffle Promo that will give away Php 7.5 million in prizes to lucky customers was also launched. Other anniversary offers announced include the collectible Suki tumblers and the Suki drawstring bags featuring iconic landmarks of the Philippines, redeemable with Suki points, available until supplies last; special discounts and Buy 1 Take 1 offers on several products until supplies last; 20% off on Kidzania entrance for all Suki Card members 1-31 March 2020; and P75 off on Enchanted Kingdom regular day passes for Suki Card members 7-29 March 2020. Mercury Drug President Vivian Que-Azcona was conferred as first recipient of the honorary degree, Doctor of Science, by De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute. For the fifth time, Mercury Drug garnered the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award in Reader’s Digest’s 2020 Trusted Brands Survey, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Curbside pick-up service was launched in May 2020, while Call Order Delivery was launched in September 2020.
2021. For the second year, Mercury Drug won the top Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award, Pharmacy/Drug Store Category. The company launched its 24-hour Call Order Delivery service on 20 March 2021. eGift, a gift card with a unique code and personalized message delivered to recipients via email or text message for use in any participating Mercury Drug store, was introduced in March 2021. For the sixth year in a row, Mercury Drug reaped the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award in Reader’s Digest 2021 Trusted Brands Survey, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. On 9 March 2021, Mercury Drug launched the Dr. Mariano Que Memorial Lecture in partnership with the UST Faculty of Pharmacy, dedicated to the memory of the founder of Mercury Drug, to contribute to a richer understanding of the issues and innovations in community pharmacy practice, focused on the theme “The Sustainable Advocacy, Initiatives and Legacy of Dr. Mariano Que”. A fifth drive-thru was opened in October 2021 in Malate, Manila.
2022. Mercury Drug joined the government’s vaccination drive against COVID-19 by enabling selected branches as Resbakuna Centers. Launched at Manila Malate President Quirino Drive-Thru branch, the very first pharmacy vaccination site in Manila, the Mercury Resbakuna Centers undertake the administration of booster shots to categories A1, A4, A5 and the rest of adult population without comorbidity, from 18-59 years old, by Mercury Drug Immunizing Pharmacists. The second Dr. Mariano Que Memorial Lecture was held on the founder’s birthday, on the topic “Promoting Dynamism in Public Health: The Role of Community Pharmacists in Strategic Direction-Setting” in partnership with the UST Faculty of Pharmacy. For the seventh consecutive year, Mercury Drug won the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award in Reader’s Digest 2022 Trusted Brands Survey, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category.
2023. Mercury Drug opened its sixth drive-thru store in Sto. Cristo, Angeles City, Pampanga and its seventh at Dr. G. Garcia Ave., Quezon Ave., Quezon City. In partnership with UST Faculty of Pharmacy, Mercury Drug held the third Dr. Mariano Que Memorial Lecture with the theme ‘Community Pharmacy Innovations in the U.S. and Trends for Enhancing Practice in the Philippines’. For the eighth consecutive year, Mercury Drug won the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award in Reader’s Digest 2023 Trusted Brands Survey, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category, besting its nearest competitor by a huge margin, in terms of trustworthiness, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation and social responsibility. Mercury Drug collaborated with the Department of Health and Philusa-Rhea Generics during the Generics Awareness Month to provide simultaneous free clinics in various stores nationwide, in an effort to encourage use of generic medicines.
2024. For the ninth consecutive year, Mercury Drug won the Platinum Most Trusted Brand Award in Reader’s Digest 2024 Trusted Brands Survey, distinguishing itself as the unparalleled leader in the Pharmacy/Drugstore Category.
Indeed, Mercury Drug has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Bambang St., Sta. Cruz, Manila. In the years to come, its spirit of service continues to help keep the nation healthy.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2024 Trusted Brand Survey.
Based on the yearly customer survey conducted by Catalyst Research aimed at identifying top brands based on criteria including trustworthiness, credibility, product quality, value proposition, responsiveness to customer needs, innovation, and commitment to social responsibility.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2023 Trusted Brand Survey.
This is awarded to brands which topped their category with an overwhelmingly higher score than their nearest competitor in terms of trustworthiness, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation and social responsibility. The 2023 survey was conducted by Catalyst Research.
Third Most Chosen Retailer, Philippines Retailer Award 2022, Kantar Philippines.
This is Kantar’s ranking of the top retailers in the Philippines as of September 2022, culled from its first report on the most chosen retailers in the Philippines based on Consumer Reach Points (CRP), which calculated the number of shoppers and number of times they made a purchase in a particular retailer within 12 months.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2022 Trusted Brand Survey.
This is awarded to companies which garnered the topmost ratings among customers in terms of trustworthiness, credibility, reliability, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation and social responsibility.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2021 Trusted Brand Survey.
This is awarded to companies which performed exceptionally by a vast margin over other brands in a survey that asked customers the names of their most trusted brands and to rate them on trustworthiness and credibility, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation, and social responsibility.
Gold Quality Service Award, Pharmacy Category. Reader’s Digest 2021 Quality Service Survey.
This is the top award given to companies which consistently deliver the very best customer service, rated by customers based on all five pillars of customer service: personalization, understanding, simplicity, satisfaction and consistency.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2020 Trusted Brand Survey.
This is awarded to companies which consistently stay true to their promises to consumers, validated by a survey that asked customers the names of their most trusted brands and to rate them on trustworthiness and credibility, quality, value, understanding of customer needs, innovation, and social responsibility. The Platinum Award is given to brands that performed exceptionally in the survey by a vast margin over their nearest competitors.
Gold Quality Service Award, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2020 Quality Service Survey.
This is given to companies which consistently deliver the very best customer service, rated by customers based on personalization of service provided, understanding of customer needs, simplicity of service and level of customer satisfaction delivered. The top two companies for each category were awarded Gold and Silver respectively.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2019 Trusted Brand Survey.
This is given to brands that performed exceptionally in the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Survey, where consumers were asked to name the brands they trust the most and to rate them according to the attributes of trustworthiness, quality, value, understanding of consumer needs, innovation and social responsibility.
Most Trusted Pharmacy Chain in Asia. Asia’s Most Trusted Brands Survey (IBC/MRG).
Asia’s Most Trusted Brands survey is a concept of International Brand Consulting Corporation USA (IBC), conducted by Media Research Group (MRG), which asked consumers about the brand they trusted most, based on top-of-mind awareness, last brand used and brand intended to use in the near future.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2018 Trusted Brand Survey.
The Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Survey, conducted by market research company Catalyst Research, asked consumers to name the brands they trust the most and then to rate those brands on the attributes of trustworthiness, quality, value, understanding of consumer needs, innovation and social responsibility.
The Platinum Trusted Brand Awards are given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly outpolled their nearest competitor.
Best-of-the-Best Award - Top 500 Awards. Retail Asia.
The Retail Asia top 500 ranking is an accumulation of Euromonitor International’s retailing data and analysis ranking the top retailers from 14 key economies across Asia-Pacific.
Silver Award, Top 10 Retailers - Health & Beauty. Retail Asia.
Most Recognizable Local Brand. Campaign Asia-Pacific March 2017 Survey.
The most recognizable brands list is a subset of Campaign Asia Pacific’s Top 1000 Brands, which seeks to study consumer behavior in 13 Asia-Pacific countries. The rankings were based on an online survey done in March 2017 that asked 400 Filipino respondents which brands come to mind when talking about a specific category.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2017 Trusted Brand Survey.
The Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Survey, conducted by market research company Catalyst Research, asked consumers to name the brands they trust the most and then to rate those brands on the attributes of trustworthiness and credibility, quality, value, understanding of consumer needs, innovation and social responsibility. Gold Trusted Brand Awards are given to brands that scored significantly higher than their rivals, while the Platinum Trusted Brand Awards are given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly outpolled their nearest competitor.
Platinum Most Trusted Brand, Pharmacy/Drugstore Category. Reader’s Digest 2016 Trusted Brand Survey.
The Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Survey polls consumers on brands which they depend on, believe in, and which they expect to provide premium value and exceptional service. The Platinum Trusted Brand Award is given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly out-polled their nearest competitor. In the 2016 survey, the Pharmacy/Drugstore Category was a new category.
Best-of-the-Best Award - Top 500 Awards. Retail Asia.
This award is conferred on a select group of retailers who have been nominated from the top-ranking retailers in each of the 14 Asia-Pacific economies and who are judged by an independent jury to stand out with their clear and outstanding business strategies and their agility to respond decisively to changes in their operating environment.
Top 3 Ranking, Top 10 Retailers’ Category by Economy. Retail Asia.
Customer Service Excellence Award. Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association (FAPRA).
The FAPRA Award is a bi-annual award which honors companies, associations and individuals who have reached outstanding achievements in retail industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
Retailer of Choice. Kantar World panel Smart Shopper 2015 Study.
The Smart Shopper Study is conducted by Kantar World panel, a marketing industry tracker, across 2,000 urban homes nationwide, focusing on retail factors such as accessibility, trust and distance from home.
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