Emerson Group to manage private-label program

PARK CITY, Utah — In shifting the management of its private-label offering, Chain Drug Consortium LLC (CDC) has changed its name to Pharmacy Value Alliance LLC.

CDC said the Pharmacy Value Alliance banner better reflects the community pharmacy focus of its approximately one dozen regional drug chain members.

Besides over-the-counter medicines, the Premier Value brand includes health, beauty, cosmetics and general merchandise products.

Also on Monday, CDC announced an agreement with The Emerson Group to manage its growing Premier Value private-label program. Plans call for vice president of purchasing Lou Helfrich, who managed Premier Value, to retire. The product line will continue under the same brand name, CDC noted.

“We wish Lou the very best, congratulate him on his retirement and look forward to a productive business relationship with The Emerson Group,” Pharmacy Value Alliance president Steve Rule said in a statement.

With the agreement, Emerson Group’s Paul Margeson has been appointed to lead private brands and supplier sourcing for The Emerson Group and serve on the newly created operations board of the Pharmacy Value Alliance. Richard Cognetti, vice president of marketing and retail merchandising for Kinney Drugs, has been named chairman of the Pharmacy Value Alliance operations board.

“We are pleased with our existing relationship with The Emerson Group and look forward to many positive developments for our Premier Value product line under our expanded relationship,” stated Pharmacy Value Alliance chairman George Bartell, who is the chairman of Seattle-area drug chain Bartell Drugs.

Premier Value encompasses more than 1,800 over-the-counter, health, beauty, cosmetics and general merchandise products, including the PV Basics label and the Premium Traditions line of Christmas seasonal items.

“We look forward to expanding our already robust business relationship with the Pharmacy Value Alliance LLC members,” commented Scott Emerson, chairman and chief executive officer of The Emerson Group, a Wayne, Pa.-based consumer products consulting and services firm. “We are pleased to have been selected to undertake the management of the Premier Value product line.”

Last year, CDC announced that it has combined with its Premier Value Alliance LLC private-label subsidiary to form the Chain Drug Consortium LCC. With the move, Rule took the reins as the president of the organization, which later closed its Boca Raton, Fla., office and opened a new headquarters office in Park City, Utah.

Other Chain Drug Consortium members include Thrifty White Pharmacy, Discount Drug Mart, Shopko, Hi-School Pharmacy, Fruth Pharmacy, HomeTown Pharmacy, Lewis Drug, Osborn Drugs, Drug Emporium, Farmacia Carol (based in Dominican Republic) and La Colonia (based in Honduras).