Two-floor store takes new front-end concept to next level

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Pharmacy has officially opened a new, 13,000-square-foot flagship store in Manhattan’s Times Square.

Located at 1440 Broadway on the northeast corner of 40th Street, the two-floor store features CVS’ new front-end format that brings a deeper, expanded health and beauty focus across aisles, the company said Wednesday.

Along with a full-service pharmacy, the 24-hour store houses a MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinic, an optical center and the CVS Discovery Zones concept, which groups assortments of products by such themes as “Healthy Eating On-The-Go,” “Advanced Skin Care,” “Sleep and Mood” and “Connected Health,” among others.

The company noted that the product mix at the new CVS Pharmacy Times Square store reflects a shift by consumers from acute sick care to proactive self-care. The store offers more than 3,400 additional new products in health, beauty and better-for-you consumables.

“We’re excited to bring our enhanced customer experience to Times Square, one of the world’s most vibrant and visited neighborhoods,” Judy Sansone, senior vice president of front store business and chief merchant for CVS Pharmacy, said in a statement. “This store features the newest experiences CVS Pharmacy has to offer in health, wellness and beauty.”

In beauty care, the 1440 Broadway store has CVS’ Trend Wall that spotlights new beauty product launches and niche brands. “Beauty on the Go” fixtures also showcase on-the-go options at checkout.

The new flagship also contains a new pop-up store-within-in-a-store dubbed “K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop,” which features about 500 Korean beauty products spanning skin care, cosmetics and facial masks, as ewell as hand, body and lip care.

K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop is exclusive to the Times Square location and a recently revamped store in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, CVS said.

The concept builds on CVS’ successful launch earlier this year of the K-Beauty HQ collection at 2,100 stores. The products are curated with Korean beauty expert Alicia Yoon of Peach & Lily, and more than 60 new products are slated to be added to the collection nationwide.

In health care, the 1440 Broadway store’s optical center employs the latest technologies to support vision and eye health, CVS said. The center is staffed by doctors of optometry who can provide comprehensive eye exams, diagnosis and treatment of eye disease, as well as offer contact lens fittings and prescriptions.

To address the shift to self-care, the flagship store’s over-the-counter health product aisles focus on key areas of consumers’ lives, such as active nutrition, immunity, connected health and sleep, offering holistic solutions and easy navigation through educational signs and displays, according to CVS.

The selection also includes a wider range of vitamins and supplements, including specialty brands such as Irwin Naturals and New Chapter, as well as expanded nutrition products like Vega and Naturade protein powders and Navitas Organics Superfood Mix Ins.

And in line with CVS’ sharper focus on healthy, on-the-go eating, the 1440 Broadway store houses Trend Zone displays with a curated selection of national and niche better-for-you brands geared toward convenience and good nutrition.

Past Trend Zones have included paleo, raw, vegan, and “snacks that give back,” including popular consumables that customers might expect to find at specialty food stores, such as EPIC bars, Larabar Bites and Justin’s. CVS said healthier food choices make up about half of all food options in the store, including popular brands like Alo Exposed Waters, EPIC bison bars and That’s It bars.

Customers also can take advantage of CVS digital shopping options at the store, including the CVS Curbside online ordering and store pickup service as well as CVS Pay, accessed via the CVS mobile app.

*Editor’s Note: Article updated with new photos.