Content about Economy of the United States

DEERFIELD, Ill. —The healthcare landscape is changing. There’s a new value-driven consumer who has emerged and, in light of this, retail pharmacy giant Walgreens is in the midst of an evolution into “a retail health and daily living store” and is on a mission to “own well.” That was a key message that an optimistic Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO, had for Wall Street during the company’s Analyst Day conference on Nov. 4 in Chicago.

CHICAGO and DEERFIELD, Ill. In an effort to keep travelers healthy throughout the holiday season, a leading global online travel company and one of the nation's largest drug store chains have joined forces through new cross-promotional marketing programs.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. Kodak was the recipient of two awards for its Playsport video camera and Pulse digital frame from the International Consumer Electronics Association.

DUBLIN Quarterly revenue for Warner Chilcott during the third quarter primarily was driven by the company's acquisition of two drugs from Procter & Gamble.

The drug maker said its revenue for the quarter, ended Sept. 30, jumped 178.2% to $703.2 million over the prior-year quarter thanks to its acquisition of Actonel and Asacol. In total, these products and the other new products acquired from P&G contributed $504.4 million in revenue during the quarter, Warner Chilcott said.

DEERFIELD, Ill. October sales at Walgreens rose 3.7% to $5.85 billion, compared with the same month last year.

The drug store chain reported that Duane Reade stores, which the company acquired in April, contributed 2.8 percentage points to the total sales increase for the month.

Calendar day shifts negatively impacted the drug store chain's comparable sales, as same-store sales dropped 1.3% and comparable-pharmacy sales decreased 1.6%, despite the fact that Walgreens' October pharmacy sales increased 2.5%.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT “We don’t have to be the PBM.” That’s what Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO, told Drug Store News in one interview last year, and it neatly encapsulates the dynamic that may be unfolding behind the scenes at the nation’s top pharmacy retailer.

(THE NEWS: Walgreens said to consider sale of PBM. For the full story, click here)

NEW YORK Beauty company Revlon announced on Thursday a 2.2% dip in net sales as net income narrowed during the third quarter, but executives remained optimistic as the manufacturer gears up for 2011 with a new global chief marketing officer in place.

NEW YORK Dream Water once again is expanding its retail distribution.

The beverage maker announced that less than one year after initially launching in Duane Reade stores, its 2.5-oz. Dream Water shot will be available at Walgreens locations nationwide. In addition to Walgreens, Dream Water also is available in select Walmart stores, tri-state area Kmart and Harmon stores, and New York-based GNC and Duane Reade stores.

Dream Water is a relaxation water that helps consumers fall asleep.

As this issue went to press, it sure had been a busy week here at Drug Store News. And that means it was a busy week for the industry, too.