The Rohertragsquote is Rohertrag, meaning turnover less the cost of goods, divided by turnover. It describes what share of the money crossing the counter belongs to the pharmacy rather than to the wholesaler. Most owners watch a second version of the same idea, Rohertrag per customer, because the quote as a percentage follows the prescription mix while the per customer figure follows what happens in the individual encounter.
The two behave differently because of the mix of what a pharmacy sells. On a prescription medicine the margin is largely fixed by law, so the pharmacy earns much the same handling margin on a cheap pack and on an expensive one. A run of expensive dispensing raises turnover and pushes the Rohertragsquote down while the absolute Rohertrag barely changes, which is the same distortion that makes the Umsatzrendite hard to read.
A service the pharmacy prices itself is outside that mechanism, because there is no fixed margin to inherit. The price is set by the pharmacy within the rules that apply to it, and the Rohertrag is whatever remains after the consumables and the time.
Apotheke Adhoc published an interview with Bodo Schmitz-Urban in January 2025 in which he argued that Rohertrag per customer should not fall below 15 euro. That is one adviser's target rather than an official standard, and it depends on the location, the customer structure and the opening hours of the pharmacy in question. It is useful as a question to ask about a trend in your own numbers, though no pharmacy is graded against it.
Read on its own the figure says little, so Rohertrag per customer needs three points of comparison:
A priced service adds Rohertrag per customer inside hours the pharmacy already staffs, which is the arithmetic reason it interests owners, though the amount depends entirely on the pharmacy's own price and uptake.
This glossary entry is general information about German pharmacy law and practice. It is not legal advice. For binding guidance on your own pharmacy, contact your Landesapothekerkammer.
