DEERFIELD, Ill. — When Alex Gourlay came to the United States in October 2013 to join Walgreens in the wake of its merger with Alliance Boots Group, he brought with him a keen sense of purpose. After beginning his career as a pharmacist at Boots the Chemist, the leading drug store chain in Great Britain,
ARLINGTON, Va. — Author and consultant Jim Collins is perhaps best known for applying the concept of the flywheel effect to the business world. Introduced in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, the theory eschews the notion that an organization advances by sudden, dramatic surges, asserting instead
Chain Drug Review has named the National Association of Chain Drug Stores its Retailer of the Year. The designation might seem odd for an association, but NACDS is an organization comprised of retailers, with C-suite executives from member companies comprising the board of directors. This edition of Video Forum features three of NACDS’ key
As Karen Lynch nears the end of her first year as president and chief executive officer of CVS Health, it’s clear that she is intent on extending the legacy of growth and innovation that has been a hallmark of the company for more than three decades. Speaking at CVS’ investor day in New York City
In the second of two Video Forum interviews, Frans Muller, president and chief executive officer of Ahold Delhaize, talks about changing expectations for mass market retailers and other large businesses. He delves into Ahold Delhaize’s increasing engagement with such important societal issues as sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and health and wellness.
In the first of two Video Forum segments, Frans Muller, president and chief executive officer of Ahold Delhaize, talks about the next phase of the company’s Leading Together strategy. He discusses the thinking behind the retailer’s stepped-up investment in digital and omnichannel capabilities, the ongoing revitalization of its local brands in the U.S. and Europe,
The Urban Institute just issued a study that sheds new light on the persistent and vexing problem of access to prescription drugs in the U.S. Working with data from a recent Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, researchers concluded that in the pre-COVID years 2018-2019 almost 13 million American adults either did without needed medications or held
In this week’s Video Forum, Scott Knoer, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Pharmacists Association, describes efforts to advance the interests of the nation’s pharmacists and expand their scope and impact on health care. The working relationship between pharmacists and physicians, working conditions for pharmacists, and the need for a more
Michelle Peluso, CVS Health’s executive vice president and chief customer officer, who will become co-president of CVS Pharmacy on January 1, tells this week’s Video Forum about the company’s ongoing omnichannel transformation. She also addresses the new Healthier Happens Together corporate advertising campaign, CVS’ growing array of digital and IT capabilities, and opportunities to
In this week’s Video Forum, Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief growth officer at Target, discusses the company’s success at tailoring its business model to changing circumstances and consumer needs. Among the subjects she addresses are Target’s guiding principles, the development of owned brands and their place in the merchandise mix, and the
Like many other policies intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Biden administration’s emergency temporary standard (ETS), which requires companies with 100 or more employees to ensure that members of their workforce are immunized or undergo weekly testing, has become a flashpoint. In addition to expected resistance from many Republicans, some business groups, including
Andrea Leigh, principal in Andrea K. Leigh Consulting, shares with this week’s Video Forum her assessment of the evolution of omnichannel retailing. In the second of two interviews, she looks at some of the companies that are mounting a challenge to Amazon in e-commerce, the coming shakeout in delivery options, and recent developments in China
In the first of two interviews, Andrea Leigh, principal in Andrea K. Leigh Consulting, analyzes Amazon and its impact on the retail marketplace. Leigh, who spent a decade in a variety of executive posts at the e-commerce company, talks about Amazon’s relentless pursuit of consumer-centric innovation, ongoing efforts to carve out a bigger presence in
In laying out her vision for the future of Walgreens Boots Alliance at the company’s investor day last month, chief executive officer Roz Brewer framed the strategy in personal terms. Recalling her mother’s final illness a decade ago, Brewer talked about the daunting complexity and wastefulness of health care in America, and how WBA is