Alliances are used by companies to complement the existing resource base and thus enable their strategies. However, creating alliances involves benefits and risks, and it is also necessary to define the type of alliance to be established depending on the common interests and market trends. Therefore, this study aims to broaden the understanding of the pharmaceutical retail competitive environment. The sector has excellent performance and is expected to continue growing, but it is highly fragmented and therefore has undergone transformations towards consolidation. This research also aims to identify the types of strategic alliances formed by the pharmaceutical retail, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this process. The qualitative research method was adopted, and the data was collected through interviews with ten pharmacy and drugstore managers. The results showed seven different types of alliances and their advantages and disadvantages. They also helped identify the changes that have occurred in the pharmaceutical trade as a result of its current competitive environment.
Strategic alliance; Strategic decision; Pharmaceutical retail; Strategic partnerships
