Rite Aid campaign touts wellness65+
Rite Aid Corp. has kicked off a marketing campaign for its new loyalty program catering to customers age 65 and older.
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Pharmaca adds Natural Beauty Bars
Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy Inc. has expanded its Natural Beauty Bar services concept to five additional stores. The services, launched last year at Pharmaca’s store in Pacific Palisades, Calif., are now also available in the chain’s outlets in Brentwood, Menlo Park, Novato and Oakland, Calif.
ESI teaming up with Walgreens
Express Scripts Inc. (ESI) and Walgreen Co. have launched Smart90 Walgreens, a new option for ESI clients seeking 90-day prescriptions for patients with chronic diseases.
CACDS will work with provincial premiers
Community pharmacy advocates in Canada have thrown their support behind the most recent effort by the country’s provincial governments to manage health care costs while ensuring access to high-quality care.
Special Report: The Top 10 Pharmacy Retailers
Little has changed in the makeup of the top pharmacy retailers over the past year, but competition is sure to keep intensifying amid the changes being brought by health care reform.
Canadian titans Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart set to merge
The market reacted enthusiastically to last month’s joint announcement that Loblaw Cos. would acquire Shoppers Drug Mart for $12.4 billion (Canadian). SDM shares immediately rose 24%, close to the value of the offer.
Loblaw-SDM aims to enhance customer experience
Executives at Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart see the union of their companies as enhancing their efficiency and their appeal to the consumer. “This transformational partnership changes the retail landscape in Canada,” Loblaws executive chairman Galen Weston said.
Courtman hones the Health Mart proposition
Steve Courtman, president of Health Mart, the 3,126-store pharmacy franchise run by McKesson Corp., is confident the retailer has what it takes to flourish in an environment where the rules that have long governed health care delivery are in the process of being rewritten.
Jean Coutu fills its war chest
The Jean Coutu Group’s decision last month to sell its remaining Rite Aid Corp. stock has led some industry watchers to speculate that the company may be either looking to acquire another Canadian retailer or put itself on the block. After Coutu announced on July 17 that it would dispose of the
Rx loyalty cards become more prevalent
The proportion of pharmacy customers who say they have a loyalty card or discount card or have been offered one was up significantly in the 2013 edition of the Pharmacy Satisfaction Pulse survey, conducted for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Decision to delay ACA provision wins praise
The Obama administration’s decision to delay an Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that large employers provide coverage for workers is a “wise move,” said a top official with the National Retail Federation (NRF).
Inaugural Total Store Expo gets under way
The moment has arrived: Twenty-seven months after the National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced the creation of the Total Store Expo, the event is here. Unprecedented in scale and scope, the gathering kicks off this weekend, on Saturday, August 10, at Sands Expo and Convention Center here.
Three chains won’t sell new issue of Rolling Stone
The three major drug chains have banned sales of the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine, which pictures accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover. CVS/pharmacy, Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp.
Walgreens tabs Lelinski as VP of market access
Walgreen Co. has named Mark Lelinski corporate vice president of market access.
Martindale becomes Rite Aid president
Ken Martindale, who has been a proponent of change and innovation at Rite Aid Corp., has been named the company’s president. The 53-year-old Martindale had been senior executive vice president and, since 2010, chief operating officer, a post he retains.
Educational campaign on ACA gets under way
Seeking to educate Americans about the upcoming health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Obama administration has relaunched a website and opened a 24-hour call center.