Peter Shenoda

A pharmacy bill can be small on paper and still change the shape of someone’s week. Peter Shenoda understood that long before Bargain Chemist became a national brand. In the early days, a customer collecting medication became emotional when she realised her prescription was free; the saving meant she could buy extra groceries for her family. For Peter, that moment captured exactly why the business existed.

Co-founded in 2018, Bargain Chemist was built to make healthcare and everyday essentials more affordable without stripping away service, convenience or trust. Its large-format community pharmacies brought together free prescriptions, competitive pricing, extended access and a broader retail offer at a time when many saw little room to challenge New Zealand’s traditional pharmacy model.

The business has since grown into one of the country’s fastest-growing pharmacy retail groups, serving hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders each year while remaining 100% Kiwi-owned. Peter has supported that growth by investing in systems, technology, digital capability and leadership pathways, recognising early that rapid expansion would only work if the infrastructure and culture could keep pace. During COVID-19, those foundations were tested as pharmacies became frontline healthcare providers, managing changing regulations, staffing pressure and surging customer demand.

Bargain Chemist’s growth is ultimately measured in the everyday pressure it helps remove. For Peter, the work is not just about opening more stores; it is about making pharmacy feel less like another financial trade-off for families already weighing up too many of them.