Mercury Drug
Mercury Drug is a pharmacy chain in the Philippines. History. The company began on March 1, 1945 with a single drugstore owned by Mariano Que ( ). He named it after Mercury, the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology, whose caduceus wand is sometimes used as a symbol of medicine, as well as the element of the same name and the first planet in the Solar System. The logo was designed by Alfredo Medinaceli Cabrera. The store began cutting packaged, bulk items into single pieces and selling them individually; this retail practice is colloquially called "tingí-tingî" in Filipino . It is the second oldest operating drugstore chain in the country after South Star Drug, which was established eight years earlier. Upon the invitation of Ayala Corporation, Mercury Drug opened its second branch in May 1963 at the Corporation's developing commercial center in Makati, now known as the Ayala Center. In 1965, Mercury Drug established its landmark branch at Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, Manila opposite Quiapo Church, which is currently noted for its large, outdoor LED screen. In 2001, then trade secretary Mar Roxas described Mercury drug as a "near monopoly" and said it has 70 percent share of the  domestic market (hence, it is now facing competition from mentioned-above South Star Drug - which the latter eventually acquired by Robinsons Retail in 2012 - and SM-owned Watsons Philippine franchise). As of 2017, Mercury Drug has reportedly over 1000 branches across the country. In the early 2010s, it opened a new building, MDC100, located in Eastwood City, Quezon City.