Wendy future of retail top

Jeffrey Woldt

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

Bartell Drugs aims to ‘work faster, work better’

Bartell Drugs aims to ‘work faster, work better’

For Bartell Drugs and chief executive officer Brian Unmacht, 2017 is shaping up to be a watershed year. If all goes according to plan, the 127-year-old company, which for many consumers in the Puget Sound region is synonymous with community pharmacy, will begin to reap the benefits of an enterprisewide reengineering project designed to position

ACA repeal will usher in period of uncertainty

ACA repeal will usher in period of uncertainty

After stumbling out of the gate early this month with an ill-conceived  bid to hamstring the Office of Congressional Ethics (a plan that roused a chorus of critics, including President-elect Donald Trump, and was quickly withdrawn), Republicans in the House, along with their colleagues in the Senate, regained their footing and set about the business

A momentous development for three Rx chains

A momentous development for three Rx chains

The agreement struck last month for the sale of 865 Rite Aid Corp. drug stores to Fred’s Inc. is a momentous development for those companies, as well as Walgreens Boots Alliance, which after 14 months is still working to finalize the acquisition of Rite Aid. The $950 million all-cash deal will bring Fred’s stores and

Value of NACDS evident as new era dawns

Value of NACDS evident as new era dawns

At the start of the month the National Association of Chain Drug Stores concluded a series of successful events in the nation’s economic and cultural capital. The much anticipated annual gathering, known as NACDS Week in New York, brings together leaders from the diverse constituents that comprise the chain pharmacy industry to take stock as

Retailers and suppliers: It’s a partnership

Retailers and suppliers: It’s a partnership

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

In retailing, change is now the only constant

In retailing, change is now the only constant

In the early 1960s, Bob Dylan, who was just awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, asked his listeners to “… admit that the waters/Around you have grown/And accept it that soon you be drenched to the bone/If your time to you is worth savin’/Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone/For the

NACDS flourishes with Anderson at the helm

NACDS flourishes with Anderson at the helm

Steve Anderson joined a select group of business leaders last month when he was recognized as trade association CEO of the year. As only the third winner of the honor, part of the Association Leadership Awards sponsored by CEO Update, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and chief executive officer earned a distinction

Lack of debate about health care troubling

Lack of debate about health care troubling

One of the more surprising aspects of the sad spectacle leading up to the election of a new president and new Congress in November is the lack of serious, sustained debate about health care. When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama in March 2010, the nation embarked

NACDS continues to extend its vision, reach

NACDS continues to extend its vision, reach

The NACDS Total Store Expo in Boston last month has several claims to distinction. In its fourth year, the event — which brings together aspects of the industry that the association previously addressed in three separate shows — hit its stride in terms of fostering interaction between retailers and suppliers, with the Meet the Market

Digital tech is upending status quo in health care

Digital tech is upending status quo in health care

CHICAGO — Retail pharmacy is no stranger to technology. For many years pharmacy operators and their supply chain partners have relied on computer-driven systems to ensure efficient distribution of products, assist pharmacists in dispensing and adjudicate insurance claims. The digital revolution is now bringing about an exponential change in technology’s impact not only on pharmacy,

As FTC weighs Rite Aid deal, WBA moves ahead

As FTC weighs Rite Aid deal, WBA moves ahead

It has been slightly more than nine months since Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to acquire Rite Aid in a $17.2 billion all-cash transaction. Since that time, speculation about whether the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger will pass muster with the Federal Trade Commission has become a staple of discussion for people involved in community pharmacy and the

Rationalization of store base on the horizon

Rationalization of store base on the horizon

The second annual Amazon Prime Day was held this month and, despite early technical problems that slowed down the checkout process for some customers, it was another in a series of successes for the nation’s leading online merchant. The company reported that the event was the best day in Amazon.com’s 22-year history, with sales in

Analysis: Naming of co-COOs right step for WBA

Analysis: Naming of co-COOs right step for WBA

The appointment of Alex Gourlay and Ornella Barra as co-chief operating officers of Walgreens Boots Alliance signals the start of a new stage in the process of forging the two companies that came together to form WBA at the close of 2014 into a new corporate culture. The two executives, whose talent, experience and leadership

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