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Success in the mass market can be an uphill battle for some niche brands as retailers trim selection, bolster private-label offerings and pass on smaller brands they perceive as higher risk. However, retailers also are increasingly looking to distinguish themselves from the competition, whether it is through exclusive offerings, customization or in-store services.

In today’s world, April is the time to begin preparations for the wave of patients who will start visiting pharmacies as early as August to be immunized. On the heels of a severe flu season, past trends suggest the demand for flu shots this year will be tremendous, says Emdeon's Mike Carmody.

With just about 90 days to go until the start of the first-ever Total Store Expo in Las Vegas this August, DSN convened executives from leading consumer health and consumer packaged goods companies for a frank and wide-ranging discussion about how their companies are preparing to win at TSE. The show — which will combine the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ former Marketplace, Supply Chain and Logistics, and Pharmacy and Technology conferences into one new mega-show — will bring together retail executives and suppliers from all three fields.

In my last UpMarketing post, Dart and Science, I described how combining quantitative and qualitative research with good old-fashioned gut instincts can drive results. This post examines a related topic: big data. Everyone’s talking about the mountains of data at their fingertips, just waiting for analysis and action. But it seems that no one has figured out an effective way to begin excavating to find the hidden treasure.

In November 2012, The Drug Store News Group hosted in New York an exclusive roundtable discussion of leading pharmacy retailers and a handful of key vendors. Moderated by special guest Dave Wendland of Hamacher Resource Group, the panel tackled a wide range of issues, including how to expand pharmacist accessibility for patients with diabetes; measuring and managing patient outcomes; government reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; and the use of complementary and alternative medicines.

Merchandising in the OTC space has certainly changed over the past decade. Gone is the “stack-‘em-high-and-let-‘em-fly” approach to planogramming. It’s a cleaner, less-cluttered shopping experience. And the complexity behind that shopping experience is changing.

By now we are all well aware of the healthcare IT transformation taking place across the nation. This transformation is expected to continue for the foreseeable future with further implementation of Meaningful Use and the expansion of state Medicaid programs in 2014 as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requirements. Providing clinical services through the coordination of care among a variety of providers in the healthcare space will continue to be a focal point in the future of healthcare as well. For example, we will likely see more elaborate collaborative care models through the expansion of accountable care organizations, patient centered medical home efforts, and the development of health insurance exchanges in one form or another.

Now in its 14th year, in 2012, DSN changed up the format at the annual Industry Issues Summit conference. This year's theme was finding white spices for retailers and suppliers to co-create and bring new innovation to the consumer.

Even as the big chains get bigger, the industry's top regional chains continue to grow in relevance and importance in the markets they dominate. In this special digital report, DSN profiles the leading regional pharmacy chains in food, drug and mass, with a special focus on what makes each one unique.

Armed with a new store concept and the wellness+ loyalty card program, Rite Aid is mounting a comeback and posting its best results in years.

The year 2012 is coming to an end, and it's been a big year for generic drugs. It's the year that the most lucrative drug of all time became commoditized. It's the year that Watson bought Actavis for $5.6 billion. And it's the year the FDA released draft guidance for biosimilars regulations. All of these events speak to some of the most important trends in the world of generics — trends that are often interrelated.