To celebrate 20 years of Accuracy and the 10th anniversary of our partnership with the BFM Awards, we launched “Voies d’Entrepreneurs” (Trailblazer Talks), a three-episode podcast series that gives voice to entrepreneurs and highlights the bold decisions and pivotal moments of their careers. This series features past laureates of the BFM Entrepreneur Award, which Accuracy has proudly sponsored for the past decade.
In this second episode, Frédéric Simottel invites Hervé Jouves, CEO of Hygie31, and Arnaud Lambert, one of the founding partners of Accuracy, for a conversation about transformation, acceleration, and redefining what a pharmacy can be.
This podcast was recorded just before Hervé Jouves received the 2024 BFM Entrepreneur Award.
From Retail Strategy to Healthcare Impact
Hervé Jouves did not come from the pharmacy world – and that is exactly what made the difference. With a background in retail, he brought a fresh perspective to a conservative industry, taking an approach to pharmacies not just as healthcare providers, but as customer-facing businesses in need of reinvention.
Hygie31 was built around three pillars:
- Disruption of a fragmented, traditional market
- A new healthcare vision through the “4Ps pharmacy” model – Participative, Personalised, Predictive, and Preventive
- A strategic push towards a European, tech-driven model, integrating robotics, AI and even immersive training tools.
A Decade of Strategic Acceleration
Hygie31’s growth has been as fast as it has been intentional. Since 2016, the group has relied on private equity to fund both organic development and external acquisitions, expanding its reach with a multi-channel strategy: branded Lafayette pharmacies, regional networks and digital platforms. Key milestones include the acquisition of Cocooncenter and Ecoceutics in 2021, marking the group’s entry into Spain.
Accuracy has been there at every stage – from the first capital transaction in 2016 to the arrival of Latour Capital in 2022. Whether through vendor due diligence, acquisition analysis in France and abroad, or synergy modelling, Accuracy has played a co-development role, ensuring Hygie31 had the clarity and confidence to scale.
Pharmacies Reimagined
Today, Hygie31 operates over 1,200 pharmacies and has invested €12 million in a robotised logistics platform to improve efficiency and speed across the network. But its ambition goes far beyond infrastructure.
As Hervé Jouves explains, the real transformation is about the pharmacist’s role: shifting from logistician to healthcare anchor, reinventing pharmacies as first points of care – from prevention to training to access in underserved areas.
Today, Hygie31 is doing more than building a network; it is reshaping a model. Pharmacies are no longer just places to pick up prescriptions. They are becoming true healthcare hubs, with the pharmacist back where they belong: at the heart of the care system. As Hervé puts it, it’s about bringing the pharmacy back to its former glory.
🎧 Click to hear how retail instincts, bold strategy and the right partnerships are redefining what a pharmacy can be. ➡️ Full podcast