WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health said it will eliminate about 600 corporate jobs over the next couple of months. The job cuts will be made primarily at CVS corporate offices in Rhode Island, Illinois and Arizona, the company said. In a statement, CVS Health indicated that the job reductions reflect fluctuations in the health care
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Walmart health and wellness executive Carmen Bauza is leaving the company to join the television and online retailer HSN Inc. Bauza is slated to join HSN/Home Shopping Network as executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, effective November 28, the interactive multichannel retail company announced. In her new role, Bauza will
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Theranos Inc., its former lab-testing partner, seeking damages of $140 million. The damages figure represents the amount that the drug store chain said it invested in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based health technology company. The civil suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware on November
NORWALK, Conn. — Walmart and Kroger Co. finished in a virtual tie as the top retailer in the 2016 PoweRanking determined by consulting firm Kantar Retail LLC. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Co. were at the top of the rankings of manufacturers in this year’s survey. Walmart has been atop the retailer rankings for more than a
MEDINA, Ohio — Discount Drug Mart has taken home health care at drug chains to a new level. Building on its 2014 acquisition of Hastings Professional Medical Equipment, the retailer says it’s providing products and services unavailable at rival pharmacy operators. Our reputation in the category is so good that the competition will refer customers
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — John Fegan has retired as vice president of pharmacy at Southeastern Grocers LLC, parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie. The company operates more than 500 pharmacies. Fegan joined Winn-Dixie as vice president of pharmacy in June 2008. He formerly headed U.S. pharmacy operations at Ahold, a Netherlands-based global food retailer. He
SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs held a grand opening November 19 for its newest store, its 65th overall, in the city’s burgeoning Ballard neighborhood. The 14,200-square-foot store extends the retailer’s recent focus on urban locales. It features a full-service pharmacy that offers a spacious waiting area and a range of health care options focused on convenience,
TORONTO — The Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada (Neighbourhood Pharmacies) has released its new 900 Day Strategic Plan, a mission statement for how the organization can advance the interests of its retail pharmacy members. The new plan represents not simply a change in focus but a renewal and enhancement of the organization’s strategic orientation, Neighbourhood
As the year nears its end, surprises continue to make news in chain drug retailing. Mostly, negative surprises. Earlier this month, CVS downsized its headquarters staff by some 600 employees, stopping for a moment the retailer’s uninterrupted string of good news. Following that announcement, the Woonsocket, R.I.-based drug chain issued a warning that results might
The Food Marketing Institute’s recent cancellation of FMI Connect, the trade show that had been scheduled for McCormick Place in Chicago next June, raises some interesting questions about the value and long-term viability of such events. FMI Connect and its predecessors were for many years a staple on the supermarket industry calendar, so, as Leslie
NEW YORK — The increasing complexity of today’s consumer is making it ever more difficult to tailor stores to shoppers, retailers and suppliers said at the 2016 Chain Drug Review Category Management Roundtable in Manhattan. Conducted in tandem with Market Performance Group (MPG), the roundtable featured 20 executives representing the retailer and supplier viewpoints. Panelists
WASHINGTON — Premiums for health plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act will rise sharply next year, and insurer defections in some states will leave consumers with substantially fewer coverage options, the federal government reported. Premiums will increase, on average, 25% for mid-level plans on the federal health insurance exchange, according to the Department of
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) and Rite Aid Corp. have extended the time frame for completing their planned $17.2 billion merger. The companies have pushed back the end date for the deal by three months to January 27, and they expect the transaction to close early next year. Both companies had the
FLINT, Mich. — Paul Urick has been promoted to president of Diplomat Pharmacy Inc. Urick, who had been senior vice president of industry relations, pharmaceutical account management and payor strategy, succeeds Gary Kadlec, who will retire on December 31. Kadlec will serve out his term on the specialty pharmacy company’s board of directors. “As part
