Finnish drug wholesaler Oriola-KD said in a statement early last week that it and Kooperativa Förbundet (KF), a Swedish cooperative, had bought all the shares in Pharmacy Company Sweden 2, a national cluster with 171 chemist’s shops, from Apoteket, a former government monopoly. Oriola-KD added it and KF would form a joint venture to run the shops, with the former holding 80 per cent of the shares and the latter 20%. The statement said the value of the cash transaction was estimated to be about €150 million. The acquisition is in line with Oriola-KD’s strategy to expand operations from pharmaceutical wholesale to pharmaceutical retail in all countries where Oriola-KD operates and where market regulation allows it, the statement added. Sweden’s drug retail monopoly was dismantled in July. Apoteket is to keep 330 outlets.