Cincotta Discount Chemist in Merrylands has celebrated a whopping 70 years of service with birthday cake, coffee and a very special appearance by its original owner.
In December 1951, Umberto Silvio Cincotta, who became known as Albert, achieved a lifelong dream when he opened up his first pharmacy at 185 Merrylands Road.
With a commitment to outstanding customer service and affordable prescription prices, Mr Cincotta adopted a motto of ‘famous for value’. It’s this passion for providing value for money that led to the store becoming an “institution” in Merrylands.
Now at 90-years-of-age, Mr Cincotta has been welcomed back to the chemist he created 70 years ago with open arms. Former customers were excited to greet him, giving him gifts and sharing photos of the chemist from many years ago. The positive reception cements how much of a staple the Cincotta Discount Chemist has become in western Sydney.
For Mr Cincotta’s son Joseph Cincotta, who grew up at the pharmacy before eventually working there, coming back to the store felt a bit surreal.
“It’s very emotional… to have spent much of my life here and my Dad, of course, he opened the shop, basically working seven days a week,” he said.
“[My father] had a very special connection with all his customers, people used to come from miles away in those days just to see him. He would look after people.”
It was during the 1960’s when Mr Cincotta first recognised the strong need for customers to obtain pharmaceuticals after normal business hours. Passionate about “moving with the times”, Mr Cincotta fought through the courts until he won the right to offer after hours trading.
“When I was child we used to live above the shop, my Dad was actually one of the very first after-hours pharmacists,” Joseph said.
“And even when he closed at 11pm, you could come and ring a little bell on the door… it would go off at 2am and he would get out of bed, come downstairs, serve you and then go back to bed and open up the shop at 8am.
“Hopefully everyone has continued to carry on his ideals of looking after customers and servicing their needs – that’s the important thing.”
In 1999, Cincotta Discount Chemist was sold to its current owners who have since created a franchise out of the well-loved pharmacy, with almost 50 stores now located Australia-wide.
Cincotta Discount Chemist Merrylands General Manager Riccardo Fantuzzi is one of the many loyal members of staff who has seen the store develop over the years.
“I’ve been here 29 years now, I worked with Mr Cincotta and Joseph as a university graduate,” he said.
“[Cincotta Discount Chemist has] grown, its foundations were family and now it’s franchised – I suppose you could call that a big family.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.