Albert Cincotta, founder of the Cincotta Discount Chemist brand, has passed away at 93-years-old.
Considered a pioneer of discount pharmacy in Australia, Albert opened his first store at 185 Merrylands Road, Merrylands, in 1951.
Well-loved for his customer service and affordable prescription prices, Albert established a strong reputation not only as a good pharmacist, but a caring one.
It was during the 1960’s when Albert first recognised the strong need for customers to obtain pharmaceuticals after normal business hours.
Passionate about “moving with the times”, Albert fought through the courts until he won the right to offer after hours trading.
Just last year, Parra News had the opportunity to report on the 70th anniversary of the Merrylands store, which Albert attended in person. He was greeted by plenty of previous customers, many of whom who were eager to share stories on how the founder had helped them during his time working at the store.
Albert’s son Joseph Cincotta said his father had a very special connection with all his customers, and that people used to come from miles away just to see him.
“When I was child we used to live above the shop, my Dad was actually one of the very first after-hours pharmacists,” Joseph told Parra News last year.
“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.”
In a statement, Cincotta Discount Chemist said Albert’s legacy will continue to live through the store teams and into the future.
“Albert adopted a motto of ‘Famous for value, Famous for Care’,” the statement said.
“It’s this passion for providing value for money and superior care that led to the Merrylands store becoming an ‘institution’ in Greater Sydney.
“We pass our sincere condolences onto his wife Mary, children Joseph and Marianne, and the wider Cincotta family at this very sad time.”
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.