By David Pinto
Even those among us with decent memories will have difficulty remembering the National Association of Chain Drug Stores without Steve Anderson’s overriding presence and impact. For two decades — give or take — NACDS and Anderson have been inseparable. Admirably assisted by Jim Whitman and the organization’s board of directors, he has set policy, controlled membership, organized priorities and effectively established the association’s agenda.
Now, in an announcement that has surprised some but by no means all of the NACDS membership and staff, Anderson has stated that he will shortly retire.
This is hardly the time or place to assess Anderson’s impact on the chain drug industry. The passage of time will effectively account for that. But it is none too early to confirm the impact of his extended tenure as the organization’s president. To a great extent, the past two decades have confirmed his success in maintaining NACDS’ position as the premier retailing trade association in America while acknowledging his ability to institute change as change has been called for.
The result is that today NACDS is, in many respects, stronger than it has ever been.
The irony, however, is that in many other respects the association is at a crossroads — as a result of the industry the organization has represented so effectively for so long facing an uncertain future. More specifically, several questions about the industry’s future remain to be answered.
Among them:
• The future of the chain drug industry. It’s hardly a secret that the industry’s longtime leaders are facing difficult days ahead, while its regional component has never been stronger. That being the case, is NACDS’ emphasis on drug chains, combined with the ascension of other mass retailers, a position that has outlived its usefulness? If Anderson couldn’t or wouldn’t answer that question, no other NACDS leader or staffer claims to have the answer either.
• The relevance of the association’s meeting agenda. No doubt: The Annual Meeting remains the can’t-miss event on the association’s calendar. But questions abound regarding Total Store Expo, the midsummer event that summons an odd mixture of retailers and suppliers, many of whom question their attendance even as the meeting unfolds. Similar questions linger about other NACDS events throughout the year.
• The relationship between drug chains and other mass retailers. Clearly, the halcyon era of chain drug retailing has passed — even as other trade classes have gained stature and prominence within the mass retailing community. That being the case, this question arises:
• Has the time come for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores to reach out to other retail organizations — FMI comes readily to the tongue — to discuss the advantages of working jointly for the benefit of each, and of mass retailing in general?
These are just some of the issues that Steve Anderson’s successor will be forced by circumstances to confront. For now, however, let’s simply pause for a long moment to thank Steve Anderson for performing a difficult job more professionally than even his strongest supporters could have hoped for.
