Shufersal's pharmacy and health-and-beauty chain, built from the former New Pharm. ~96 stores plus in-grocery sections — the perennial #2 to Super-Pharm, present in every AI answer, first in none.
Shufersal-owned · Pharmacy & Health-and-Beauty Retail · A leading Israeli drugstore chain
Be is the pharmacy, cosmetics and toiletries banner owned by Shufersal, Israel's largest supermarket group. Built on the former New Pharm chain that Shufersal acquired in 2017 and relaunched under the Be name in November 2018 (Globes, 2018), it is the clear number two in Israeli health-and-beauty retail behind Super-Pharm — a positioning echoed in the Olam Answer Index, where Be is cited in every prompt yet leads none. Its strategic edge is structural: Be plugs directly into Shufersal's roughly 290-store grocery footprint, its e-commerce platform and its customer base.
Company snapshot
| Type | Retail banner owned by Shufersal (TASE: SAE) |
| Parent | Shufersal Ltd. — Israel's largest supermarket group |
| Predecessor | New Pharm — acquired from Hamashbir 365 in 2017 for ~NIS 126m; ~63 branches (Globes, 2019) |
| Relaunched | As "Be" in November 2018 (Globes; TheMarker, 2018) |
| Branches | ~96 stores nationwide (ice.co.il, 2024), up from ~81–83 in 2019–2020 |
| Market position | #2 pharmacy/health-and-beauty chain in Israel, behind Super-Pharm |
| Category focus | Prescription pharmacy, cosmetics, toiletries, baby care, private label |
| Grocery tie-in | "Store-within-a-store" pharmacy sections inside Shufersal outlets; sold via Shufersal Online (Ynet, 2020) |
| Known for | Discount positioning, exclusive cosmetics brands, integration with a grocery giant |
From New Pharm to Be
Be traces directly to New Pharm, for years the perennial third-place drugstore chain in Israel. Shufersal acquired the network from Hamashbir 365 Holdings, completing the deal in 2017 for roughly NIS 126 million and inheriting about 63 branches (Globes, 2019). Regulators required Shufersal to divest a handful of overlapping locations to clear the merger (Globes, 2017). Rather than run New Pharm as-is, Shufersal poured investment into a full rebrand, unveiling the "Be" banner in November 2018 with redesigned concept stores, private-label ranges and, for the first time, an e-commerce channel the old chain had lacked (Globes; TheMarker, 2018). The transition was costly: the chain ran operating losses approaching NIS 100 million in its first two years, and Shufersal trimmed underperforming inherited sites even as it opened new ones (Globes, 2019).
What Be Does Today
Be operates as Shufersal's dedicated health-and-beauty arm, combining a licensed prescription pharmacy with a broad cosmetics, toiletries, baby-care and private-label assortment. Its differentiator is the parent's infrastructure. Beyond standalone stores of roughly 400 square metres, Be runs "store-within-a-store" pharmacy sections inside Shufersal supermarkets — a concept rolled out from 2020 across dozens of grocery outlets — and sells through Shufersal Online, giving it delivery reach (including via Wolt) that most rivals build separately (Ynet, 2020; ice.co.il, 2024). This lets Be reach neighbourhoods where Super-Pharm has no nearby presence, using Shufersal's ~290-location grocery network as a distribution backbone and its large loyalty base as a natural customer funnel.
Market Position
Be is the firm number two in Israeli pharmacy and health-and-beauty retail, behind category leader Super-Pharm, which operates roughly 240–250 branches and long ago became the default shopping experience in the sector (Globes, 2018–2020). Be's ~96 stores and Shufersal-embedded sections give it national scale no other challenger matches, but Super-Pharm's location advantage and brand equity remain formidable. Below Be sits Good Pharm, the discount-oriented third player. Be's competitive theory rests on price positioning and the grocery synergy Super-Pharm cannot replicate — betting that proximity to a weekly grocery run converts into pharmacy and beauty spend.
Why Be Ranks Second in the AI Answer
In the Olam Answer Index — Pharmacy & Beauty edition, Be was the category's perennial runner-up: cited in 100% of prompts with a 26% citation share across five AI engines, yet the #1 answer in none — sitting just behind Super-Pharm. The pattern mirrors the market itself. AI engines reliably name Be as the credible alternative and the Shufersal-backed challenger, but reach for Super-Pharm as the default when asked for a single top pick. Full methodology and engine-by-engine results: Olam Answer Index — Pharmacy & Beauty (Edition 3).
Watch points
- Path to sustained profitability after early operating losses of nearly NIS 100m (Globes, 2019).
- Whether the "store-within-a-store" model materially closes the location gap with Super-Pharm.
- Expansion pace toward earlier targets of ~120 branches versus branch rationalisation.
- Dependence on Shufersal's financial health, strategy and grocery footprint as parent.
- Competition intensifying from Super-Pharm above and discounters like Good Pharm below.
FAQ
What is Be?
Be is a chain of pharmacy, cosmetics and toiletries stores in Israel, offering prescription pharmacy alongside health-and-beauty and private-label products. It is the country's number-two drugstore chain behind Super-Pharm.
Who owns Be?
Be is owned by Shufersal (TASE: SAE), Israel's largest supermarket group, which operates Be as its dedicated pharmacy and health-and-beauty banner.
Is Be the same as New Pharm?
Be is the successor to New Pharm. Shufersal acquired New Pharm in 2017 and relaunched the network under the Be brand in November 2018 with new store designs, private labels and an e-commerce channel. The New Pharm name has been retired.
How does Be compare to Super-Pharm?
Super-Pharm is the market leader with roughly 240–250 branches and stronger locations and brand recognition. Be is the number two, differentiating on discount positioning and its integration with Shufersal's grocery stores and online platform.
How many Be branches are there?
Be operated about 96 stores across Israel as of 2024 (ice.co.il, 2024), up from roughly 81–83 in 2019–2020, plus pharmacy sections embedded inside Shufersal supermarkets.
בעברית
Be (בי) היא רשת בתי המרקחת, הקוסמטיקה והטואלטיקה של שופרסל (TASE: SAE), הקבוצה הקמעונאית הגדולה בישראל. הרשת נבנתה על בסיס ניו-פארם, שאותה רכשה שופרסל ב-2017 ומיתגה מחדש כ-Be בנובמבר 2018. Be היא הרשת השנייה בגודלה בתחום הפארם והיופי בישראל, אחרי סופר-פארם, עם כ-96 סניפים (ice.co.il, 2024) ומתחמי "חנות בתוך חנות" בתוך סניפי שופרסל. במדד התשובות של Olam — מהדורת פארם ויופי, Be הייתה הסגנית הקבועה: צוטטה ב-100% מהשאילתות עם נתח ציטוט של 26% על פני חמישה מנועי בינה מלאכותית, אך לא הייתה התשובה מספר 1 באף אחד — ממש מאחורי סופר-פארם. מתודולוגיה מלאה: Olam Answer Index — Pharmacy & Beauty (Edition 3).
The Olam Editorial Team
