Priceline celebrates milestone

Chrissie Swan

Health and beauty retailer, Priceline is celebrating its 40th birthday the only way it knows how – pulling on the leg warmers, embracing the blue eyeshadow and reflecting on four decades of meeting the health, beauty and wellness needs of Australians.

Opening its first store in Highpoint, Victoria in 1982, Priceline quickly became the go-to destination for beauty and personal care essentials.

Priceline in-store activation.

In 2002, the brand challenged the status quo by combining beauty retailing and community pharmacy to open the first Priceline Pharmacy in Pakenham, Victoria.

Today, there are more than 470 Priceline and Priceline Pharmacy stores nationally employing more than 7000 people.

In 2008, the company unveiled a new brand identity, replacing homely red branding for the striking magenta hue recognised and loved today. The colour pink was designed to speak to Priceline’s female customer. Such gendered positioning was unconventional at the time for retail pharmacy, but with a customer base well over 90%, the thinking was clearly, ‘let’s be bold and unapologetic, let’s say, ‘we’re for women’’.

Priceline has celebrated Australian women ever since, both in store and in the community.

It launched the Priceline Sisterhood Foundation in 2011, which has raised more than $8.65 million for charities supporting women and their families.

Priceline also proudly supports women and children in sport as the official health partner of the MiniRoos, and sponsor of Football Australia’s Matildas and W-League, and the AFLW’s Western Bulldogs.

Six-week birthday campaign 

The six-week birthday campaign features Chrissie Swan in media that spans free-to-air television, social media, online video, as well as Priceline’s extensive network of owned assets – including its unrivalled Sister Club – to communicate both brand and key product offers.

Priceline is engaging its customers in unique ways including launching Australia’s biggest virtual Pass the Parcel competition with $200K of prizes as well as experiential activities in major cities.

“Over 40 years, our customers have grown with us and we’ve learnt from them,” says Priceline Pharmacy General Manager, Andrew Vidler.

“Our range of products and services continues to evolve in line with what matters to Australians.

“Our plans for the future are exciting and ambitious – we’re on track to expand to 500 stores this year, our reputation for new and exclusive will be further improved, our digital capability in eCommerce, eHealth and loyalty are delivering amazing changes, and we’ll be launching a new concept store this April, which puts our Pharmacists front and centre and proves our commitment to real, classic care.

“Our pink stores are recognisable in just about every Australian suburb and town.

“We’re a haven Australians have trusted for generations and for every rite of passage – the school formal, the new year’s resolution, planning for a family and caring for ageing loved ones.

“Priceline is about the big moments, but we’re also about the everyday moments, and we’re humbled to play that very human role in the lives of Australians.”