Wendy future of retail top

Issue 12-07-2009

Bang to join SDM as senior VP

Bang to join SDM as senior VP

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Chong Bang, Walgreen Co.’s general merchandise manager for photo and front-end services and the latest executive to oversee implementation of the company’s Customer-Centric Retailing (CCR) initiative, plans to leave the company later this month. He is joining Canadian chain Shoppers Drug Mart as senior vice president of merchandising. Bang, whose last day

Full Senate takes up debate about health care reform

WASHINGTON — Senators have dug in for a prolonged floor fight on health care reform, even after voting on their first two amendments. While lawmakers approved co-payment–free mammograms and other preventive services for women and rejected a Republican move to eliminate Medicare spending cuts, senators still faced weeks of debate, putting hopes for the passage

CMS policy on Part D is at issue

WASHINGTON — Pharmacy operators and drug wholesalers say they fear that a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) policy could prevent certain medications for chronic conditions from being covered by Medicare Part D. To minimize disruption on senior citizens and pharmacies, five pharmacy associations — including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores,

Walgreens executive ranks undergo more shifts

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. continues to shuffle its upper management ranks, bringing in new executives and moving others to new roles. Most recently, divisional vice president of health law Laura Merten was named divisional vice president of compliance, loss prevention and profit sharing, replacing Chester Young, who will retire in January after 41 years

Chain drug sales solid in November

NEW YORK — Chain drug retailers posted strong sales gains in November. Overall sales for the trade class advanced 8.3% from results in the prior-year period, while same-store sales increased by 4%. Walgreen Co. was among the drug chains recording solid results for the month. It reported November sales of nearly $5.4 billion, up 8.7%.

Drugstore.com has best day ever

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Online retailer drugstore.com inc. reported a strong start to its holiday selling season. On Cyber Monday, traditionally the kickoff of the online holiday shopping season, the company reported its highest number of orders ever. “While one day does not make the season, we are delighted that customers responded in rec­ord numbers to

Incidence of swine flu cases abating

NEW YORK — The level of flu activity across the nation dropped in November, federal health officials said earlier this month, indicating that the second wave of the swine flu pandemic in the United States has peaked. While officials warned that the number of people getting infected with the H1N1 virus remains high and cases

Three plan to leave board at Walgreens

Three plan to leave board at Walgreens

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Three longtime members of Walgreen Co.’s board of directors will step down next month, including Charles R. (Cork) Walgreen III, the grandson of the company’s founder. Plans call for Walgreen, Cordell Reed and Marilou von Ferstel to retire at the drug store chain’s annual shareholders meeting on January 13. Walgreen served on

Rogue Web pharmacies draw fire from NACDS

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration expressing its concern that rogue Internet pharmacies are engaging in a pattern of illegal activity. “These illegal, rogue Internet sites take advantage of consumers by luring them into illegal schemes to obtain prescription drugs, often

Walgreens enhances its web site

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. has relaunched its web site, adding a variety of healthy living and product resources, expanding the shopping tools and services it offers, and making the site easier to navigate. The new web site introduces innovative features that make it easier to manage prescriptions online, photo service enhancements, new mobile applications

NACDS is hub of chain drug industry

For four days at the beginning of December, NACDS brought the chain drug industry briefly to life, by the simple expedient of gathering the retailer and supplier communities together in New York City for a series of business and social events. It was the first time serious elements of chain drug retailing had come together

What science-based guidelines mean for Rx

Retail pharmacy operators and other health care providers recently were given a preview of the difficulties involved in implementing the findings of comparative effectiveness research, a science-based approach to evaluating the benefits and potential dangers of alternative forms of diagnosis and treatment. Controversy erupted when the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group

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