Treat location screening as a sequence. First ask whether the market can support another pharmacy. Then test whether the specific premises can capture that demand. A high-level score should never replace the second step.
Define the real catchment
Do not assume a perfect radius. Highways, rivers, rail corridors, disconnected subdivisions, transit routes, and parking access change who can realistically reach the site.
- Walk the pedestrian route, not just the straight line.
- Drive the main approaches at weekday and weekend peaks.
- Check planned residential growth separately from occupied housing.
Read competition as context
A nearby pharmacy can mean saturation, but it can also signal a proven healthcare and retail corridor. Count active competitors, then examine their format, hours, prescriber relationships, accessibility, and patient proposition.
Trace prescription sources
Map family practices, walk-in clinics, specialists, hospitals, retirement residences, long-term care, and community health services. Proximity matters only when there is a plausible patient pathway to your counter.
Audit the premises
Confirm visibility, ingress and egress, parking, transit, delivery access, physical accessibility, utility capacity, signage rights, permitted use, exclusivity, and the cost of bringing the premises to operating condition.
Build a downside case
Model the opening period with slower patient conversion, lower front-store sales, higher staffing cost, construction delay, and a competitive response. The lease must still be survivable when the optimistic assumptions fail.
Separate screening from accreditation
Location intelligence is not regulatory approval. Before opening, a new Ontario pharmacy must satisfy the Ontario College of Pharmacists’ accreditation requirements and the applicable law. Confirm the current process directly with the College.