Parcel Motel co-founder launches new pick-up locker service for pharmacies

John Tuohy, the co-founder and former chief executive of courier company Parcel Motel, has launched a new click-and-collect locker service for pharmacies which will allow patients to pick up their prescriptions without having to queue.

Pharmacy Pickup is a joint venture between Mr Tuohy’s smart locker company OohPod and Finnish pharmacy digitalisation company Remomedi.

The lockers will contain refrigerated, temperature-controlled compartments, “allowing medicine to be stored at the optimal temperature”, the companies said in a statement on Friday.

Customers will be notified when their order is ready for collection, which they can then pick up from the locker by scanning in a QR code or entering a pin number.

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“The lockers will also provide a more efficient customer experience, the possibility of after-hours pickup and free up pharmacists and pharmacy staff’s time so they can perform more value-added tasks,” the companies said.

“There is the added benefit of knowing your prescription will be ready and you won’t have to wait in any line to collect it,” Mr Tuohy said.

“The lockers allow for real-time management and monitoring of deliveries, communications and temperatures, with one easy-to-use web view of all operations. All prescription collections are tracked and medicine that is not collected is flagged.”

Kari Paukkeri, founder and chief executive of Remomedi, said: “We are delighted to work with Oohpod to commercialise our innovative parcel delivery technology for pharmacies and healthcare. Our solutions, developed with some of the leading Finnish and Scandinavian pharmacies and hospitals, will enable delivery of medicines and other health products effectively, economically and with very little complexity to consumers.”

The company is anticipating the rollout of 100 units across Ireland by the end of 2023.

Mr Tuohy, who sold Parcel Motel owner Nightline Logistics to UPS for a reported €30 million, launched his new click-and-collect parcel service OohPod last year. Beginning with one locker in Jonesborough, the company now has locations in Dublin, Meath, Louth and across Northern Ireland, including Belfast and Strabane.