Lupin 2024

Issue 08-05-2013

Special Report: The Top 10 Pharmacy Retailers

Little has changed in the makeup of the top pharmacy retailers over the past year, but competition is sure to keep intensifying amid the changes being brought by health care reform. The top 10 players in retail pharmacy remained the same in terms of prescription dollar volume and pharmacy count, according to the 2013 Annual

Canadian titans Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart set to merge

TORONTO — The market reacted enthusiastically to last month’s joint announcement that Loblaw Cos. would acquire Shoppers Drug Mart for $12.4 billion (Canadian). SDM shares immediately rose 24%, close to the value of the offer. Unusually for the stock of an acquiring company, Loblaws’ shares also showed upside, gaining 5.4%. Under the terms of the

Loblaw-SDM aims to enhance customer experience

TORONTO — Executives at Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart see the union of their companies as enhancing their efficiency and their appeal to the consumer. “This transformational partnership changes the retail landscape in Canada,” Loblaws executive chairman Galen Weston said. “With scale and capability we will be able to accelerate our momentum and strengthen our

Courtman hones the Health Mart proposition

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Courtman, president of Health Mart, the 3,126-store pharmacy franchise run by McKesson Corp., is confident the retailer has what it takes to flourish in an environment where the rules that have long governed health care delivery are in the process of being rewritten. “Because Health Mart combines the best of a

Jean Coutu fills its war chest

LONGUEUIL, Quebec — The Jean Coutu Group’s decision last month to sell its remaining Rite Aid Corp. stock has led some industry watchers to speculate that the company may be either looking to acquire another Canadian retailer or put itself on the block. After Coutu announced on July 17 that it would dispose of the

Rx loyalty cards become more prevalent

NEW YORK — The proportion of pharmacy customers who say they have a loyalty card or discount card or have been offered one was up significantly in the 2013 edition of the Pharmacy Satisfaction Pulse survey, conducted for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. Virtually half (49%) of customers have a card or have been offered one,

Decision to delay ACA provision wins praise

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s decision to delay an Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that large employers provide coverage for workers is a “wise move,” said a top official with the National Retail Federation (NRF). “This one-year delay will provide employers and businesses more time to update their health care coverage without threat of arbitrary

Inaugural Total Store Expo gets under way

LAS VEGAS — The moment has arrived: Twenty-seven months after the National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced the creation of the Total Store Expo, the event is here. Unprecedented in scale and scope, the gathering kicks off this weekend, on Saturday, August 10, at Sands Expo and Convention Center here. Consolidating NACDS’ Marketplace, Pharmacy

Three chains won’t sell new issue of Rolling Stone

NEW YORK — The three major drug chains have banned sales of the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine, which pictures accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover. CVS/pharmacy, Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp. prohibited the sale of the publication in response to charges that the cover glorified Tsarnaev with a rock-star-like

Walgreens tabs Lelinski as VP of market access

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. has named Mark Lelinski corporate vice president of market access. Lelinski is responsible for contracting and pricing strategies and integration efforts across Walgreens’ pharmacy, health and wellness division; sales and account management; and overseeing the continued evolution of the company’s managed market strategies. “Mark is a seasoned leader with an

A primer on how to view Total Store Expo

The most eagerly anticipated event in the annals of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores — or, for that matter, any other retail trade organization — is finally upon us. The result is that some 5,200 people — a group that includes the NACDS board — are descending on Las Vegas to meet, talk,

Health care reform gives rise to rival Rx models

With less than two months to go before open enrollment in the new state health insurance exchanges begins, one of the great dramas in the history of retail pharmacy is about to unfold. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) major provisions will create opportunities for health care providers perceptive enough and skillful enough to

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