RICHMOND, British Columbia — London Drugs president and chief executive officer Wynne Powell has announced his plans to retire at the end of the month. The 66-year-old Powell, who has been with the western Canada drug chain since 1982, will officially step down on February 23. Senior vice president and chief operating officer Clint Mahlman
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. is expanding its relationship with Inovalon Inc. to implement the technology company’s patient assessment software and platform to support improvements in care, quality and risk score accuracy programs across more than 400 of the retailer’s Healthcare Clinics. Use of the software, called Electronic Patient Assessment Solution Suite (ePASS), at the
NEW YORK — Walgreen Co. has filed lawsuits against CVS Caremark Corp., Rite Aid Corp. and Shopko Stores Operating Co., claiming that their mobile applications infringe on its “refill by scan” technology patent. Mobile pharmacy technology provider mscripts LLC is also named in the suit against Shopko. Walgreens filed the lawsuits on January 31 in
CHICAGO — Rite Aid Corp. plans to deploy health kiosks that will allow customers to measure and track their weight, body mass index, pulse and blood pressure. Under an agreement with Chicago-based higi, Rite Aid is expected to install 4,100 higi Stations in its stores by early next year, with the rollout starting in the
NEW YORK — The major annual surveys of pharmacy customers consistently show a high level of satisfaction with retail pharmacy, and the latest iteration from Consumer Reports magazine is no exception. However, echoing the results of similar studies, the Consumer Reports poll shows that the major drug chains fail to match the ratings of many
WASHINGTON — Target Corp. intends to accelerate its shift to more secure microchip-enabled smart cards in the wake of the massive data breach that hit the retailer during the holiday shopping season. “The data breach that struck our company spotlighted the sophistication of criminal hacker networks operating across the globe,” Target executive vice president and
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart lowered its sales and earnings projections for the fourth quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, citing weaker-than-expected comparable-store sales at U.S. Walmart and Sam’s Club outlets. “Despite a holiday season that delivered positive comps, two factors contributed to lower comp-sales performance for Walmart U.S.,” chief financial officer Charles Holley said in
Seldom has a decision by a chain drug retailer rocked the country so suddenly and dramatically as has CVS Caremark’s announcement that it intends to stop selling tobacco products in its 7,600 stores by October 1. In the aftermath of the retailer’s decision, national and local media have dissected its impact and implications from an
CVS Caremark’s commendable decision to discontinue the sale of tobacco products in its drug stores by October 1 raises some interesting questions about the relationship between retailers and their customers. Defining itself first and foremost as a health care services company, CVS felt compelled to stop offering products whose detrimental impact on the well-being of
Let’s begin by defining “need state” marketing. The former chief marketing officer at Coca-Cola, Mary Minnick, loved to talk about what she considers the 10 primal “need states” that consumers have, including “hunger and digestion,” “mental renewal” and “health and beauty.” She suggested that creating drinks meeting each of these needs may mean inventing new
SAN FRANCISCO — Bouncing back after the rejection of its previous offer, McKesson Corp. has secured the acquisition of the Stuttgart, Germany-based pharmaceutical distribution firm Celesio Group. McKesson reached an agreement with Franz Haniel & Cie, the majority shareholder, to acquire its entire holding of Celesio shares for €23.50 per share. Separately, McKesson bought Celesio
WASHINGTON — The ranks of the nation’s uninsured declined in January as expanded health insurance coverage was demonstrated under the Affordable Care Act. According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the rate for adults lacking health care coverage fell by 1.2 percentage points to 16.1, an indication that 2 million to 3 million individuals had secured
NEW YORK — Walgreen Co. has debuted its latest flagship store in New York City, bringing the format’s Up Market, enhanced beauty offerings and expanded pharmacy to Union Square. The 24-hour flagship marks another major renovation for the store on 4th Avenue at 14th Street since its opening in 2001. “We’ve been reborn twice and
