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NEW YORK — Racher Press Inc., the publisher of Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers, presented its 2015 Retailer of the Year awards last evening in New York City.
The annual event drew retailer and supplier executives from across the food, drug and mass channel to a ballroom at the new headquarters of Time Inc. in lower Manhattan, just blocks away from the World Trade Center “Freedom Tower.”
“This group of honorees is arguably the best we’ve ever assembled,” said Jeffrey Woldt, vice president and editorial director for Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers at Racher Press. “We’re thrilled that so many of their colleagues — and key members of the supplier community — are here to help us honor them.”
Earning awards from Chain Drug Review were the following executives:
• CDR Retailer of the Year: John Standley, chairman and CEO, and the management team at Rite Aid Corp.
• CDR Retailer of the Year: Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Gerald Gradwell, senior vice president of investor relations and special projects at Walgreens Boots Alliance, accepted the award on behalf of Pessina. (Note: This year’s CDR Retailer of the Year award went to two companies.)
• CDR Merchant of the Year: Judy Sansone, senior vice president of front-store business and loyalty, chief merchant, at CVS Pharmacy.
• CDR Pharmacy Innovator of the Year: Walmart. Jody Pinson, vice president of merchandising for beauty care at Walmart, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
Honored with awards from Mass Market Retailers were the following executives:
• MMR Retailer of the Year: Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO, Target Corp.
• MMR Merchant of the Year: Charles Redfield, executive vice president of merchandising at Sam’s Club (and now executive vice president of food for Walmart U.S.).
• MMR Marketer of the Year: Jeff Jones, chief marketing officer, Target Corp.
• MMR International Retailer of the Year: Loblaw Cos. and Shoppers Drug Mart. Pat Dean, senior vice president of front store and category management at Shoppers Drug Mart, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
• MMR Lifetime Achievement Award: Rick Dreiling, former chairman and CEO, Dollar General Corp. He also previously served as CEO of Duane Reade, chief operating officer of Longs Drug Stores and executive vice president at Safeway.
“Rick has demonstrated his leadership abilities in a variety of retail settings,” Woldt said. “But the high point of Rick’s career was his tenure at Dollar General, from 2008 until the start of this year. During that time, the company saw its sales increase more than 80% and its store count grow more than 40%, surpassing the 12,000 mark.
“By focusing on the intersection of price and convenience,” Woldt added, “Rick and his colleagues have made Dollar General — and indeed the entire dollar store sector — relevant to consumers and a major competitive force in the marketplace.”
