Content about Retail

Eighty-five percent. That’s roughly the combined market share for the companies that appear in the 2013 DSN PoweRx50, representing more than $190 billion in pharmacy sales and more than 51,500 stores, or more than 8-out-of-10 retail pharmacies in America, across all classes of trade, chains and independents. The indisputable Kings of Retail Pharmacy.

PHOENIX — One of the biggest questions the average person might have about specialty pharmacy is, well, what the heck is it?

Avella Specialty Pharmacy seeks to answer that question with a new, 1-minute, 45-second animated video titled, "What is a Specialty Pharmacy?" which seeks to explain the differences between a specialty pharmacy and a traditional retail pharmacy.

Audio Q&A: Drug Store News sat down with Joel Wright, Walgreens VP health systems operations, to talk about the company's WellTransitions program. Hospitals need retail pharmacy if they're going to reduce re-admissions, eliminate unnecessary healthcare costs and avoid penalties from Medicare for patient re-admission rates that are too high, under a new law that took effect Oct. 1. With that in mind, Walgreens created WellTransitions.

Everybody loves a comeback story, and it looks as though the retail pharmacy industry has one of its own in the making as Rite Aid’s latest earnings report showed another strong quarter for the Camp Hill, Pa.-based chain, which has been steadily growing its sales and narrowing its losses for several quarters already.

For the full Rite Aid Annual Report, click below.

Retail pharmacy veteran Frank Scorpiniti officially assumed the role of CEO of Rexall Pharma Plus in February. Now that he’s settled in North of the Border, Scorpiniti talked with Drug Store News about his new role and his insights on the Canadian retail pharmacy market.

For niche brands, getting a foot in the door of mass market retail is no easy feat, and the stakes remain high as retailers have, in recent years, trimmed SKU counts and grown increasingly risk-adverse. Yet, at the same time, retailers remain on the hunt for a point of differentiation among a sea of “sameness.”

AUDIO Q&A: DSN interviewed Frank King, King Bio president, who is introducing a new nonprescription inhaler for asthmatics, formulated with homeopathic ingredients, called AsthmaCare under its Safecare banner of products. As of Jan. 1, asthma products like the Primatine Mist inhaler became unavailable at retail — leaving consumers with few asthma care options in the OTC aisle.

AUDIO Q&A: DSN caught up with Gabe Trahan, NCPA senior director of store operations and marketing, to discuss the kinds of tools available in NCPA's new front-end program that has seen more than 20% growth in test pilots.

There are a million stories in the retail pharmacy industry — this is about a dozen of them. Early in 2011, the editors and publishers of Drug Store News put out a call to select members of the vendor community for a chance to tell the stories of their companies, in their own words. What followed is DSN’s first-ever user-generated special report. For information on how your company might participate in future user-generated reports, contact Rob Eder, editor-in-chief of The Drug Store News Group at reder@lf.com.

TORONTO — Prestige cosmetics and skin care brand Pari Beauty has opened its first-ever storefront location in an Ontario mall as part of its expansion strategy, the company has announced.

Located in Scarborough Town Centre in Ontario, the store marks the third of three recent openings that include two mall boutique kiosks in Oakville Place and Vaughan Mills showcasing its line of products.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is offering to buy back $810 million worth of debt while increasing the amount of a new bond sale announced Tuesday, the retail pharmacy chain said.

Rite Aid said it would buy back all of its $810 million worth of 9.5% senior notes due 2017. The company also said it would increase the $400 million offering of 6.75% senior notes due 2021 by another $410 million, for a total of $810 million, as part of a debt-refinancing plan.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A top executive of Sears and Kmart is among the retail executives appointed to the board of directors of a retail industry lobbying group.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced Wednesday the appointment of Sears Holdings Corp. president for Sears and Kmart, EVP and chief merchandising officer Ron Boire. Other executives include CEOs of The Home Depot, 7-Eleven, Petco Animal Supplies and J.C. Penney Co.