Wendy future of retail top

Brian Owens

Pharmacy Roundtable: The challenges and rewards of a seminal time

Pharmacy Roundtable: The challenges and rewards of a seminal time

The pandemic has brought — in addition to peril — promise for pharmacy operators who have become central to testing and vaccination efforts. The impact of the crisis on pharmacy’s present and future, among other topics, was explored during a Chain Drug Review roundtable held virtually in conjunction with the NACDS Total Store Expo. Woldt:

Make human connections and health equity will follow

Make human connections and health equity will follow

As the retailization of health care accelerates post-pandemic, humanized commerce approaches will become a new-normal U.S. retail trend. Shoppers’ values will continue to shift even more in the direction of human concerns and human priorities. According to the CDC, health equity is when each person has the chance to reach “his or her full health

PillPack buy shows Amazon’s outcome-first approach

PillPack buy shows Amazon’s outcome-first approach

NEW YORK — A year after announcing it was acquiring Whole Foods Market, Amazon.com made a splash again, this time in the health care sector. On June 28, Amazon entered into an agreement to buy PillPack, an online pharmacy that offers presorted doses of medications and home delivery, for an estimated $1 billion. PillPack also

What’s next for WBA, Rite Aid and Fred’s

What’s next for WBA, Rite Aid and Fred’s

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) and Rite Aid Corp. announced on June 29 that their merger is off, which goes to show you that nothing is certain in the world of retail mergers and acquisitions, especially with the U.S. government involved. The long and somewhat tumultuous process of WBA’s proposed acquisition of Rite Aid, which

Kantar sheds light on potential of health, wellness

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Retailers in the U.S. are sitting on a gold mine of health and wellness opportunities, but they need to know where and how to dig. This was the essential theme of the Kantar Retail Health and Wellness Conference held here last month. By 2025, according to Kantar, health and wellness has

Southeastern Grocers joins Plenti rewards coalition

Southeastern Grocers joins Plenti rewards coalition

NEW YORK — Southeastern Grocers LLC has become the first supermarket operator to join the Plenti coalition loyalty program operated by American Express. The program, which allows members to earn and use rewards at a number of businesses, including Exxon and Mobil gas stations and Rite Aid and Macy’s stores, will roll out to the

Regional drug chains display prowess as innovators

Regional drug chains display prowess as innovators

Although sometimes overlooked amid the swirl of activity surrounding the largest players in retail pharmacy, regional drug chains remain an integral part of the industry. The assets and aspirations of those companies — defined as operating between four and 250 stores — along with the challenges they face, were on display at the National Association

Walgreens’ quest for the fill-in shopping trip

Walgreens’ quest for the fill-in shopping trip

Walgreens wants to own the grocery fill-in trip by providing its shoppers with what it calls the “ultimate convenience” — defined as helping shoppers get in, get what they need and get out. Kantar Retail assesses trip missions and cross-channel behaviors to examine how the Walgreens shopper may respond to this strategic goal. Recently, Walgreens

Wellness+ with Plenti: A step toward true customer loyalty

Wellness+ with Plenti: A step toward true customer loyalty

We at Kantar Retail believe that the May 2015 launch of Rite Aid Corp.’s new wellness+ with Plenti rewards program is an innovative step toward achieving true shopper loyalty. According to the 2015 COLLOQUY Loyalty Census, drug store loyalty program memberships rose 88% to 268 million versus a year ago, the highest growth rate of

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