WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has launched Just the Basics, a new store-brand line of value-priced essential household and health and beauty care items.
CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday that Just the Basics currently has nearly 100 items, spanning such product categories as household, beauty care, baby care and personal care. The drug store chain added that it plans to expand the line, which it described as offering "the lowest prices and highest value when compared to store- and national-brand options with equivalent sizes and quantities."
According to the retailer, Just the Basics builds on the convenience that CVS/pharmacy already offers shoppers with its more than 7,100 stores nationwide by providing "the best value on basic items each time they shop." Backed by the CVS/pharmacy brand 100% satisfaction guarantee, the new line serves up "wallet-friendly alternatives to higher-priced national-brand products without the added bells and whistles many customers do not want or need," the company stated.
CVS said Just the Basics products start at 67 cents and can be found at its store locations nationwide as well as online at CVS.com. Everyday home goods in the line range from paper towels and sandwich bags to cleaners, laundry detergent and light bulbs, while essential family items include a broad assortment of groceries, beverages and snacks as well as baby care products, such as diapers and wipes.
Meanwhile, personal care offerings in Just the Basics include "a product for every daily routine," covering such areas as hair care, skin care, oral care, shaving and hosiery, according to CVS.
"We know our customers want the option to save where they can so they can spend where they want," Grant Pill, vice president of merchandising for CVS/pharmacy, said in a statement. "Just the Basics offers smart simplicity with a full line of basic products that customers need to get them through the day with even lower prices and the added convenience of shopping at CVS/pharmacy."
CVS’ introduction of value-oriented, store-brand essentials reflects overall efforts by chain drug retailers to revitalize front-end business, increase the shopper basket size and spur more shopping visits — in turn enticing customers to purchase other, higher-margin items.
The debut of Just the Basics also comes in the wake of stepped-up store-brand programs by rivals Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp.
Last June, Rite Aid unveiled what it dubbed as a new "price fighter" private brand called Simplify, offering an assortment of household items and consumables. The introduction is part of a multipronged private-label rebuilding program at the drug chain.
Then in August, Walgreens announced that it began rolling out the DR Delish private-brand line of premium snacks and beverages — obtained in the company’s acquisition of Duane Reade — in Walgreens stores nationwide. The chain has since expanded the selection of DR Delish items in Walgreens stores.
