About UPD - History

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1993

  • UPD is founded, following merger of the Premier Group’s PDC Trading Limited and Medical Cash and Carry (Pty) Ltd.

1995

  • Premier Group increases holding in UPD from 49% to 100%.

1997

  • Retail marketing and procurement arm, Multicare, is established.

1999

  • Premier unbundles, and UPD is sold to consortium comprising Standard Corporate Merchant Bank, Gensec and executive management.
  • The company is renamed New UPD.
  • An owner-driver delivery initiative is introduced, which will evolve into a highly effective and fully-fledged empowerment scheme.
  • In its first taste of third party distribution, New UPD enters into a sole distribution arrangements with Pasteur Meriux Cannaught.

2002

  • New Clicks indicates its intent to purchase New UPD for R280-million.

2003

  • New Clicks’ acquisition is authorised and New UPD becomes a member of the New Clicks group.

2005

  • Lynda van Niekerk is appointed Chief Executive.
  • New UPD establishes an all-inclusive, 36-seat contact centre at its head office in Gauteng.
  • Gained exclusive distribution rights for the hospital chain Life Health Care.

2006

  • New UPD offers specialist marketing, branding and promotional services via its new subsidiary, Collective Thought Marketing.
  • Gained exclusive distribution rights for the hospital chain Mediclinic

2007

  • New UPD commissions the southern hemisphere’s most sophisticated automated warehouse at its Gauteng premises in Lea Glen.

2008

  • New UPD acquires a 90% stake in Kalahari Medical Distributors operations out of Gaberone

2009

  • UPD upgrades distribution centres to world-class status