MIAMI — Navarro Discount Pharmacy is adding two more location in South Florida as part of a multiyear growth plan that could dramatically raise the drug chain’s store count.
On Wednesday, Navarro also announced that it has won the Top 100 Minority Business Award for Large Company Community Involvement from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. The Miami-area retailer is the nation’s largest Hispanic-owned drug store chain.
The company, which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary, said it has signed two new store leases at in Homestead and Pembroke Pines, Fla. The chain currently has 28 locations plus three new stores under construction. Store openings are expected within the next three to nine months.
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Left to right: Navarro’s Steve Kaczynski and Cristy-Leon Rivero receive the Top 100 Minority Business Award from NBC’s Jackie Nespral. |
"These new store locations in Homestead and Pembroke Pines will specifically cater to the needs of underserved Hispanics," Navarro chief executive officer Steve Kaczynski said in a statement. "As a community pharmacy, we’ll be a draw and a destination for local Hispanics in the neighborhood."
In January, Navarro said it plans to open its 29th store this summer. The 14,000-square-foot location in North Miami will mark the retailer’s first new store opening since its airport store opened in 2007.
Navarro’s growth plan includes adding as many as 21 new store locations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties over the next three years, as well as remodeling up to five current store locations annually, according to Paul DiBrito, director of real estate and construction at the chain.
Three current stores, including a location in Hialeah Gardens, were remodeled in the last 12 months. Navarro said it expects to add 50 to 70 new jobs for each new store, depending on its size.
The Homestead store covers 11,440 square feet and will target a Hispanic demographic that includes Mexicans, according to Navarro. The Pembroke Pines store in Westfork Plaza is about 16,000 square feet, and its Hispanic customer base includes Puerto Rican and Venezuelan consumers. Customer demographics for the North Miami store include Haitians, African-Americans and Hispanics, Navarro said.
New stores and store remodels include a new merchandise layout, new colors, enhanced signage and improved services for customers such as a pediatric pharmacy, free compounding pharmacy services, a free Diabetes Club for adults and children with diabetes, and free prescription delivery for all customers.
Other elements of Navarro’s growth plan include identifying new wholesale partnerships and business development opportunities as well as adding e-commerce capabilities to the retailer’s web site for the growing Hispanic population that lives outside South Florida, the company said.
In receiving the Top 100 Minority Business Award, Navarro was recognized for its commitment to the community. The chain was given the award late last week at special luncheon in Miami that honored other minority-owned businesses. Kaczynski and Cristy Leon-Rivero, vice president of marketing at Navarro, were presented the award by NBC-6 news anchor Jackie Nespral at the event.
"As a community pharmacy serving Hispanics, it is very important for us to participate in activities and organizations in all of the neighborhoods where we do business," Kaczynski commented. "We are grateful to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce for recognizing our efforts in the Hispanic community."
The Top 100 Minority Business Award program from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce honors South Florida’s minority business community and celebrates the region’s diversity and entrepreneurship, according to Navarro.
The retailer said it has participated in more than 250 community events throughout the past year. Focused on wellness and families, Navarro created Wellness Wednesdays, which offers free in-store vascular and diabetes health screenings, smoking cessation classes, a pediatric pharmacy window for working parents and free prescription delivery. The drug chain also contributes to a variety of causes and local organizations through in-store collections and, in some cases, has contributed with matching collections.
