CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In a move that caught the investment community by surprise, Dollar Tree Inc. has agreed to acquire Family Dollar Stores Inc. for about $9.2 billion in cash and stock. The transaction, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both chains, is expected to close by early 2015. If completed,
FLINT, Mich. — Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy last month filed for a $100 million initial public offering and acquired MedPro Rx Inc., which is focused on specialty infusion therapies, including immune globulin. Diplomat, which had sales of $1.6 billion in the year ended March 31, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early July to
DEERFIELD, Ill. — More patients are turning to retail clinics for chronic and preventive care, a new Walgreen Co. study shows. Patient loyalty is climbing with usage, the research found, with half of those who utilize clinics making return visits. The study notes that the percentage of visits to Walgreens Healthcare Clinics for preventive services,
Last month Walmart hosted a gathering of suppliers that can be accurately labeled unique in the annals of retailer-supplier meetings. Held at Walmart’s Bentonville, Ark., offices, the meeting brought some 500 suppliers and potential suppliers from 46 states to Bentonville, to pitch products or, more accurately, to seek the opportunity to pitch products to the
Midsummer is usually a period when the frequency of newsworthy developments in the retailing business dwindles, but the last several weeks have brought with them a spate of significant events. CVS Caremark agreed to buy Navarro Discount Pharmacy, at once strengthening its position in Florida and raising its level of expertise in reaching Hispanics, the
It’s Monday morning and you wake up with a throbbing headache, stuffy and dizzy, recognizing that the next thing you absolutely positively need to hear is, “The doctor will see you now.” You roll over in bed, pick up your tablet, open your accountable care organization’s (ACO’s) telemedicine app, and in a few minutes you
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Rite Aid Corp. unveiled the latest incarnation of its wellness format in a grand reopening ceremony at its store in the tony Los Angeles neighborhood of Beverly Hills. On hand at the event late last month were Rite Aid’s Ken Martindale, president and chief operating officer; Robert Thompson, executive vice president
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Rite Aid Corp. has added a major new partner to its Rite Aid Health Alliance collaborative care program. Rite Aid president Ken Martindale announces the partnership with Heritage Provider Network at the drug chain’s store in Woodland Hills, Calif. In an event late last month at its store here, the drug
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Showing renewed vigor under new president Labeed Diab, Walmart’s health and wellness business has appointed a merchandising executive and initiated a pilot program for company-owned in-store health clinics. Mark Phillips was named vice president of pharmaceutical merchandising for Walmart U.S. He most recently served as senior director of merchandising for small formats
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In a survey conducted by Ipsos Reid North America for BCBusiness magazine, British Columbia residents voted London Drugs the clear winner in a poll conducted early this year to find the province’s most loved brand. British Columbia is the province where London Drugs was founded and where it has its highest
ST. LAURENT, Quebec — Alain Champagne will become president of McKesson Canada effective July 16. Champagne, whose promotion was announced last month, was previously senior vice president, pharmaceutical distribution and operations since joining the company in 2010. In this capacity he was responsible for all sales and marketing activities of distribution solutions and services. “Alain
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — In an article published in a Health Affairs blog, CVS Caremark Corp. chief medical and scientific officers and others commented on a missing piece in the current approach to accountable health care models. They maintain that although reforms to the health care payment system are transforming incentives for health care providers, the
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. pharmacists and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners are collaborating with Arizona Priority Care (AzPC) physicians in a model aimed at improving patient care and quality outcomes. The agreement will provide coordinated, expanded services for AzPC Medicare Advantage and ACO members through select Walgreens pharmacies and Healthcare Clinics. AzPC describes itself as
BOSTON — Vision 2025 is the latest addition to the “intellectual capital” provided by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Total Store Expo. The look into the industry’s possible future will join Meet the Retailer, Meet the Market and insight sessions in provoking thought at the NACDS event next month at the Boston Convention
