NEW YORK — In grand style, Duane Reade opened here what many industry observers are calling the most spectacular drug store ever. With hundreds of supplier executives, journalists and a handful of celebrities in attendance, Duane Reade had a gala celebration this month for the opening of its largest store to date: a 22,000-square-foot unit
NEW YORK — The 22,000-square-foot Duane Reade drug store that opened its doors at 40 Wall Street for the first time in the days immediately following the Independence Day holiday has already received more news coverage and wider, more favorable exposure than any drug store that has yet opened its doors in America. The consumer
DEERFIELD, Ill. — At the end of this year, Walgreen Co. plans to stop filling prescriptions for people covered by Express Scripts Inc. after failing to agree on new contract terms with the pharmacy benefits manager. Express Scripts prescriptions are expected to be worth an estimated $5.3 billion in sales for Walgreens in 2011. “We’re
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Inside Rite Aid Corp.’s latest drug store prototype are some outside-the-box ideas. Dubbed the “wellness store,” the format makes health care its hallmark while taking customer engagement to a higher level through personal service, interactive technology and a variety of shopping conveniences. Heading the list of innovations is what Rite Aid calls
MIAMI — Juan Ortiz has been named chief executive officer of Navarro Discount Pharmacy. He had been chief financial officer. The 46-year-old Ortiz succeeds Steve Kaczynski, who resigned to pursue other business interests. Kaczynski will remain a consultant to the 29-unit, Hispanic-owned drug chain through the end of the year. “Juan Ortiz and his team
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark Corp. has created CARE 1on1 to remind consumers about the importance of pharmacist consultations and the critical role that pharmacists play in managing medications for chronic illnesses — especially when patients are starting a new medicine. The company is stressing that it offers patients one-on-one time with a pharmacist in
BOSTON — Nearly 700 buyers and category managers from about 200 retail chains scoured the aisles of the Boston Convention Center to check out the latest items on display at the annual National Association of Chain Drug Stores Marketplace Conference. The four-day event — the association’s 25th Marketplace — was also attended by 450 of
LONGUEUIL, Quebec — The Jean Coutu Group had a year of healthy growth and improved profits, president and chief executive officer Francois Coutu said at the company’s annual meeting here earlier this month. And, he noted, Coutu’s franchisees had also fared better than might have been expected. When the financial year began in February 2010
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Brian Fiala has been named executive vice president of human resources at Rite Aid Corp., one of several executive and senior management changes announced by the drug chain. Fiala, formerly executive vice president of store operations, is responsible for all aspects of human resources, including training, recruitment, talent management, compensation and
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has redesigned its ExtraBucks receipts and launched an interactive digital campaign that urges cardholders to take advantage of the rewards they have earned under the ExtraCare loyalty program. Executives say the campaign focuses on what the company terms “MoneyTrashers,” or customers who are “trashing their money” by not checking their receipts
Looking for the community drug store retailer that most effectively combines the most compelling advantages of a drug chain and an independent drug store? Look no further than Seattle-based Bartell Drug. This 58-store drug chain has, over its 121-year history, forged the kind of indestructible bond with its customers that has all but disappeared in
In the two and a half years since he became chief executive officer of Walgreen Co., Greg Wasson has succeeded in remaking the corporate culture of America’s largest drug chain. Long known for its conservative approach to business, the retailer — which Wasson’s three immediate predecessors often referred to as a “crawl, walk, run company”
