By Lari Harding
As the pursuit of wellness, nutrition and medical care continues to meld into a single journey, grocery stores with integrated pharmacies are emerging as one of the most promising models for improving frontline health. With growing consumer demand for convenience, personalized health solutions and holistic care, grocery stores with pharmacies are uniquely positioned to become central players in the future of health care delivery.
Built-in foot traffic and accessibility
One of the greatest advantages of grocery store pharmacies is accessibility. Unlike traditional sources of health care that require patients to deal with scheduling, transportation or insurance verification, grocery stores are deeply embedded in communities, especially where clinics or hospitals may be farther away. Most grocery stores operate long hours, including evenings and weekends, making them an easy access point for basic health care services.
Pharmacies inside these stores capitalize on existing foot traffic. In fact, pharmacy shoppers are the most loyal grocery store customers, spending two to three times longer in the front store versus a nonpharmacy shopper. It is four to five times when the pharmacy spend is factored in. People who come for weekly groceries can refill a prescription, receive a vaccination or consult with a pharmacist — all during the same visit. This model saves time and removes friction from health-related tasks that might otherwise be delayed or avoided.
Importantly, the majority of grocery shopping in the U.S. is still conducted in person. According to a 2023 Food Marketing Institute report, over 85% of grocery sales still occur in physical stores. Moreover, more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a grocery store with an attached pharmacy. This proximity creates a highly accessible, community-based foundation for retail health services.
Time is one of the most important value drivers for today’s consumers. Multitasking families with growing demands on their attention are seeking solutions that reduce friction in their lives. Grocery stores with pharmacies meet this need by merging multiple wellness activities into one seamless experience. Saving time while supporting health turns routine grocery trips into powerful opportunities for preventive care, improved nutrition and more loyal shoppers.
Trust and familiarity
Consumers seek health guidance where they feel most at ease. Unlike the sterile atmosphere of a medical clinic, grocery stores provide a familiar, comfortable setting. Many customers develop personal relationships with their pharmacists, who often serve as the most accessible health care professionals in their communities.
Pharmacists have long been underutilized despite their extensive training and expertise in medication management, chronic disease monitoring and preventive care. When located in grocery stores, their influence on personal health outcomes can be significant. This trust factor can be critical in nudging consumers toward healthier behavior.
Holistic health at the point
of purchase
Grocery stores already influence a significant portion of health outcomes through the products they sell. Nutrition is one of the most powerful determinants of long-term health, yet traditional health care prioritizes other factors. By combining pharmacies with food retail, grocery stores are able to connect medication management with nutritional guidance. Some future-focused retailers have already begun experimenting with this model. This kind of integration makes health guidance more actionable, with consumers receiving direct prompts in a retail environment where they’re already making food-purchase decisions.
Digital infrastructure, AI and personalization
Grocery chains use loyalty programs and shopping apps to leverage data and tailor experiences. This infrastructure could easily be expanded to offer personalized health insights. For example, a grocery app could send reminders to refill prescriptions, suggest meal plans aligned with a diabetic diet, or offer rewards for purchasing healthier items.
AI is making healthy behaviors more attainable. AI-powered tools can analyze purchase history, health goals and preferences to offer personalized product suggestions and meal planning that fit within budget constraints. Virtual health assistants can answer nutrition questions or recommend items that align with a shopper’s dietary restrictions. This personalization helps eliminate decision fatigue, one of the biggest barriers to behavior change, and empowers consumers to make informed choices quickly and confidently.
Preventive and Chronic
Care Services
In Canada, pharmacists’ expanded scope has reduced the strain on physicians. In the U.S. we have a shortage of 50,000 primary care physicians, and this is expected to grow to 90,000 by 2037. Pharmacies within grocery stores are offering preventive care including flu shots, COVID-19 vaccines, blood pressure screenings and smoking cessation counseling. As regulations evolve in the U.S. and pharmacists gain expanded scope of practice, these offerings will expand as well. Chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol can be monitored and managed effectively through routine check-ins and lifestyle support — which grocery pharmacies are well suited to provide. By embedding clinical care into the everyday shopping experience, retailers can reduce the burden on traditional health care systems while increasing healthy eating and patient engagement.
Why health care payers should fund retail health solutions
Health care payers, including insurers, government agencies and employers — have a vested interest in reducing costs while improving patient outcomes. Funding or partnering with retail health solutions in grocery stores is a high-leverage strategy with proven potential.
Retail health models have been shown to reduce emergency room visits and hospital admissions. For payers, this translates into lower costs. When plan members receive immunizations, manage chronic conditions or adhere to medications more effectively, the downstream savings are significant. By co-funding services or incentivizing beneficiaries to use grocery store-based health resources, payers can promote more consistent care at a fraction of the cost of traditional settings.
The urgency to act has never been greater. The U.S. population is aging rapidly, with over 77 million Americans projected to be 65 or older by 2034 — surpassing the number of children under 18 for the first time in history. Older adults experience higher rates of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Workers as a percentage of the population are declining. At the same time, U.S. health care spending is approaching 20% of GDP, a figure that experts agree is unsustainable without major reform. On March 27 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Transformation to Make America Healthy Again.
Commercial health care payers have historically operated with short-term mindsets, focusing on quarterly metrics and year-over-year cost containment. If we’re to shift toward sustainable health care, we must lower long-term costs through wellness. The earlier in a person’s life healthy behaviors are adopted the less likely they are to suffer from preventable and diet-related illnesses later in life. Grocery stores with pharmacies are ideally positioned to become part of this early intervention strategy.
Integration
with value-based care
Retail grocery pharmacies offer scalable infrastructure to support population health. With digital tools, loyalty data and regular engagement, these retailers can help identify at-risk individuals, deliver targeted health messaging and encourage positive behavior change. Payers benefit from more engaged, proactive plan members who receive interventions before conditions escalate. Additionally, retail locations can host health events, screenings and community outreach programs funded or co-branded by payers. These partnerships build trust, visibility and value for both parties.
We are in year 20 of a 40-year process to shift from volume-based health care to value-based health care. This aligns perfectly with the retail health model. Grocery stores can serve as decentralized health hubs where routine care, medication consulting and lifestyle interventions take place — all of which contribute to improved outcomes and reduced costs. Payers focused on quality metrics, such as HEDIS scores or Medicare Star Ratings, can leverage these environments to close care gaps efficiently.
By investing in these partnerships, payers can influence the design of in-store health programs to better align with clinical priorities such as managing diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The stars are aligning
for a winning business strategy
While the pharmacy payment system is broken, and we need to change the way pharmacists are paid for services and expand their scope of practice under the medical benefit, the potential impact on consumer wellness is a significant opportunity. We are at an inflection point in the industry. Change must happen before we lose a tremendously valuable asset in the physical grocery store pharmacy.
Grocery stores with pharmacies are more than just convenient — they are uniquely equipped to serve as a new generation of retail health providers. With community trust, built-in traffic, digital infrastructure and a holistic view of health, they offer a scalable, cost-effective way to deliver care where it matters most.
Technological developments and AI are creating the consumer convenience required for behavior change. As health care evolves to meet the needs of a more informed, value-conscious and wellness-oriented public, partnerships between grocery stores and health care payers can unlock powerful new models of care. If we want to reverse the unsustainable cost trajectory of U.S. health care and reduce chronic disease, we must meet people where they are — and that starts with investing in retail health, preventive care and nutrition-focused wellness. Let’s talk about making the “well-being value proposition” a growth strategy at NACDS Annual.
Lari Harding is senior vice president of industry affairs and strategic partnerships at Inmar Intelligence.
