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VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen's base of 3,452 independently owned Good Neighbor Pharmacies will be another benefactor out of the wholesaler's blockbuster agreement with Walgreens and Alliance Boots, AmerisourceBergen CEO, president, director and chairman Steven Collis told analysts during a conference call Thursday.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Thursday announced it would invest $135 million in its 2013 capital expenditure program, an 8% increase compared to the year prior. 

“To position our company for continued growth, we have made record investments in our store base,” Jonathan Weis, Weis Market's vice chairman, told shareholders during the grocer's annual meeting held here. In 2013, the company is planning 37 major projects, including four new stores, 15 major remodels and 17 remodels.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack Corp. has ended its mobile phone partnership with Target Corp. amid slumping sales, the electronics store chain said Tuesday.

RadioShack said it had stopped operating its Target Mobile centers before the end of last month. The company had operated mobile phone kiosks inside Target stores. The company posted first quarter 2013 quarter sales of $849 million and a loss of $43 million, compared with $913 million last year and a loss of $8 million.

WASHINGTON — A report released yesterday by the Bipartisan Policy Center, entitled “A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-Wide Cost Containment,” contains a smart, forward-looking and no-cost recommendation that could save the government billions, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association said today.

NEW YORK — The Jean Coutu Group sold 72.5 million of its 178.4 million shares of Rite Aid stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday and company announcement Tuesday.

The Canadian retail pharmacy group said it sold the shares for $158.5 million and would record a gain of $49.7 million in its net profit during first quarter 2014. The sale brings Jean Coutu's stake in Rite Aid down to 11.7%, the company said.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has accepted for purchase $760.7 million worth of debt as part of a $1.1 billion debt-refinancing plan announced last month, the mass merchandiser said.

The company announced plans in mid-March to purchase up to more than $1.1 billion worth of debt securities and will pay close to the full amount for those accepted for purchase.

The offer to purchase the debt from the people holding it expired Wednesday night at 11:59, the company said.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's Super Dollar on Thursday reported total sales of $190.4 million for the five weeks ended April 6, down 2% from the comparable year-ago period. 

Comparable store sales for the month decreased 3% compared with flat store sales in the same period last year.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The board of directors at Walgreens on Wednesday declared a regular quarterly dividend of 27.5 cents per share, a 22.2% increase over the year ago dividend. The dividend is payable June 12, 2013, to shareholders of record May 21, 2013.

Walgreens has paid a dividend in 322 straight quarters (more than 80 years) and has raised its dividend for 37 consecutive years. Over the last five years, Walgreens annual dividend rate has increased from 38 cents per share to $1.10 per share, resulting in a compound annual growth rate of nearly 24%.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Blackhawk Network Holdings on Monday announced its intent to open its initial public offering of 10 million shares at an estimated offering price of $20 to $22 per share. The IPO will consist solely of shares to be offered by existing stockholders, including Safeway, and could raise as much as $220 million. 

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Same-store sales at Rite Aid decreased 2% in March, including a 3.8% increase in same-store sales on the front end and a 4.5% decrease in pharmacy sales due in part to new introductions of generic drugs, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

The 4,621-store chain reported total sales for the month of $1.939 billion, a 2.5% decrease compared with $1.989 billion in March 2012, while same-store prescription count increased 0.3%.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday reported March sales of $6.2 billion, an increase of 2.3%. 

ST. LOUIS — Centene Corp. has purchased specialty pharmacy provider AcariaHealth for a combination of cash and stock, Centene said Tuesday.

Monday's purchase of AcariaHealth, formally known as Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings, was financed through a combination of 1.7 million shares of Centene stock, cash and up to $15.3 million of Centene stock from an equity offering related to funding.