Opening his first store in 1951 at 185 Merrylands Road, Merrylands, Cincotta was considered one of the pioneers of discount pharmacy in Australia, adopting a motto of “Famous for value, famous for care”.
In the 1960s, Cincotta recognised customers’ demand for medicines beyond regular business hours; he fought court battles until finally winning the right to offer after-hours trading. His customer-centric approach and competitive pricing led to the establishment of a patient-first discount pharmacy.
“We are committed to continuing the strong heritage that Albert created,” Cincotta Discount Chemist CEO Mario Capanna said.
“I know everyone in our industry will join me in passing on our sincere condolences to his wife, Mary, his children, Joseph and Marianne and the wider Cincotta family at this sad time.”
Joseph 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,” he said.
“Even when he closed at 11pm, you could come and ring a little bell on the door … it could 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.”
Cincotta is widely respected and has built strong relationships in the industry, and commenting on his passing, the pharmacy said his legacy would continue to live through the store teams.
