Naz Rayani has always worn his heart on his sleeve, but now he’s displaying it across his five Victoria pharmacies as the veteran pharmacist re-brands his stores as Heart Pharmacy.
The patriarch of the Rayani clan — all of whom are involved in the business — is changing the signage, which until June 1 read People’s Drug Mart.
“Heart to me means love, service and the community,” said the soft spoken Naz, who has retired from dispensing at his pharmacies but not from doling out hugs and warm handshakes to his customers.
And that kind of interaction is at the core of what Rayani hopes the re-branding exercise will mean for the company that has pharmacies in Cadboro Bay, at the University of Victoria, in Shelbourne Plaza, Fairfield Plaza and near the corner of Moss Street and Fairfield Road.
“It’s Heart because caring for the community and the customer was what Naz was all about and what defined him and his success,” said daughter and pharmacist Zahra Rayani-Kanji.
“It’s about our honouring that and reconnecting to it, recommitting to it and communicating that message to the communities we serve.”
According to Naz’s son and president of Heart Pharmacy, Rasool Rayani, the name also captures the fact it is a family enterprise and will carry on the standard Naz has set.
“It’s really a tribute to Naz. He has a really deep connection with people who are customers, clients and people who have worked with him in the non-profit field,” said Rasool. “He’s a loving and empathetic person.”
The re-branding is more than a name and logo change.
Much like when Bob Mehr re-branded and repositioned his pharmacies as Pure Pharmacy in 2012, Heart is changing how it does business.
At Pure, the change aimed to encourage wellness and cure sickness by giving patients a one-stop shop to get medication, access to nutritionists, advisers and healthcare seminars to explore the underlying causes of their health issues.
“Pharmacy is going through a tremendous amount of change and refocusing on what’s really important,” said Rayani-Kanji.
“We had a lot of decisions to make and our decision was to focus on what was really important — connecting with the customer and having the heart-to-heart [discussions] with patients in a complex healthcare world.
“It’s about slowing things down.”
Rasool agrees, noting they have invested in staff to “double-down” on patient-centric care to provide time and space for a rapport between patient and pharmacist.
“It’s a pharmacy where you can engage with the pharmacist, an empathetic interaction where we strive to understand what is going on with your particular scenario,” he said.
Heart will also offer a broad spectrum of advice and can link patients with other treatment options, said Rayani-Kanji, noting they have access to expertise in a variety of areas, including herbal and naturopathic medicine and medication compounding.
“We want to meet and exceed people’s needs,” she said, adding they are also more accessible and open longer hours than a doctor’s office.
Naz, who started his business in Cadboro Bay in 1991, beams with pride when he sees the family carrying on the work in this field.
“Wouldn’t that be every father’s wish?” he said.
