PLEASANTON, Calif. — Steve Burd, longtime chairman and chief executive officer at Safeway Inc., will retire in May as he seeks additional personal time and pursues his work in health care. Burd joined Safeway as president 20 years ago and was named CEO shortly after. He is credited with establishing “a culture of thrift and
WASHINGTON — The down-to-the-wire fight over the fiscal cliff was only a prelude to upcoming budget battles. Most imminently, the need to raise the debt ceiling could foment a crisis as soon as late February. President Barack Obama says he will not let Republicans threaten to maintain the ceiling — thereby closing down the government
CAMP HILL, Pa. — As Rite Aid Corp. wraps up its 50th anniversary celebration, the company is offering customers new opportunities to save money and highlighting the role its pharmacists can play in helping people adhere to their New Year’s resolutions. Dubbed RA50, the company’s golden anniversary kicked off in September. Since then, Rite Aid
WASHINGTON — Although U.S. health care spending climbed to $2.7 trillion in 2011, as a share of the economy it remained stable for the third consecutive year, according to Obama administration figures. The rate of increase in national health care expenditures, 3.9% in 2011, was the same as in 2009 and 2010, resulting in the
WASHINGTON — States are taking steps to initiate health insurance exchanges while businesses mull over the future of their benefit offerings at the same time that some insurers are increasing rates by double digits. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said earlier this month that more states are on track to implement the
MATTHEWS, N.C. — Former CVS Caremark Corp. executive Jim Trappani has joined Family Dollar Stores Inc. as vice president of health and beauty aids. “Health and beauty aids play a growing and important role to our customer,” Family Dollar president and chief operating officer Mike Bloom says. “Jim brings nearly 30 years of experience in
The year that just ended was among the most dramatic chain drug retailing has seen, particularly if drama is measured in terms of its potential for lasting change. Viewed that way, here are seven landmark events of 2012 — and the impact they may begin to exert in 2013. • The Walgreens-Alliance Boots alliance. Walgreens’
No one can accuse Bob Miller of being afraid of a challenge. During a long and distinguished career in mass market retailing the chief executive officer of Albertson’s LLC has proven equal to any assignment that he has taken on, including at least one where few people thought anybody could succeed. Now Miller is faced
By the close of 2012 two key questions regarding the Affordable Care Act were finally addressed: one, whether the health care reform law is constitutional and, two, whether it would be repealed under a new administration. With these two questions now clearly resolved by the Supreme Court and the November elections, respectively, health care stakeholders
No more confusing or misunderstood retail or health care alliance exists today than the relationship among the CVS drug chain, the Caremark PBM and the MinuteClinic immediate-care network. To most observers, and even some people who claim to be industry insiders, CVS Caremark is little more than a loose alliance of three separate and only
NEW YORK — When the editors of Chain Drug Review looked back at 2012 with an eye toward identifying the executives who had the biggest impact on the industry, one event and the people behind it clearly stood out: the unprecedented partnership Walgreen Co. and Alliance Boots, two of the world’s premier retail and health
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Pharmacists at Rite Aid Corp. are making a bigger commitment to health care. Embracing a broader role, the drug chain’s pharmacy team is on a mission to not just provide vital medications but also help the people and the communities they serve improve their overall health and wellness. The result has
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Thrifty White Pharmacy is reinventing the essential component of chain drug retailing by recasting pharmacists as patient counselors and practitioners of medication therapy management. For seeking to end the long-standing limitations on pharmacists from the rote demands of dispensing prescriptions, Thrifty White has been recognized as Chain Drug Review’s Pharmacy Innovator of
NEW YORK — Chain drug executives are sounding an upbeat tone as they size up their prospects for 2013. Though most executives express concern about fiscal developments in Washington, they are confident in the outlook for the retail pharmacy industry. Why? They note that drug chains have positioned themselves well to address two critical market
