[1][2] Owens & Minor originally opened as a pharmacy company in downtown Richmond, Virginia in 1882, inside a historic building which still stands today.

[6][7] In 2012, it entered the European market, opening offices in Spain, France, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic after the acquisition of Movianto Group.

[citation needed] In May 2022, Owens & Minor stated that 45 percent of the items it offers are in some way supply-constrained due to the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, Owens & Minor opened a second office and customer service center in downtown Richmond, Virginia as part of a business rebranding strategy.

[14] In 2018, the company’s Movianto subsidiary won a contract estimated at £10.5m a year to warehouse and distribute the UK government’s stock of emergency personal protection equipment (PPE) which had previously been managed by DHL.

Following news of shortages in hospitals, the British army was sent to Movianto’s warehouse to assist in the rapid deployment of PPE, with the Department of Health and Social Care contradicting the allegation.