Content about Rite Aid

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is selling whooping cough vaccines to parents in California at a reduced price, the retailer said Thursday.

As of July 1, a new state law will require proof of vaccination for all students entering grades 7 through 12, and nearly all of the retail pharmacy chain’s 600 stores in California will be able to vaccinate walk-in patients or by appointment. The reduced-price vaccine will sell for $57.99.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is showcasing new candy varieties for last-minute Easter shoppers, the pharmacy retailer said Monday.

The National Confectioners Association ranked Easter as one of the top-selling holidays for candy and estimated that 16 billion jelly beans and 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year. Four-in-5 Americans celebrate Easter and are expected to spend about $14.6 billion during the holiday at all retailers nationwide, according to the National Retail Federation.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Anyone who has ever managed a retail operation at the store level knows — perception is reality.

(THE NEWS: Independent pharmacies earn top scores from Consumer Reports readers. For the full story, click here.)

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Sales at Rite Aid fell during fiscal year 2011, according to financial results announced Thursday, but it appears the company may have gained some momentum, reversing negative same-store sales trends in the fourth quarter.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Total and front-end same-store sales at Rite Aid decreased during March, while pharmacy sales and prescriptions filled increased, the pharmacy retailer said Thursday.

Compared with last year, front-end same-store sales decreased by 1.8% during the four-week period that ended March 26, which the 4,711-store chain attributed to Easter falling on a later date this year, April 24, than last year, when it occurred on April 4.

PITTSBURGH — GNC is ready to pull the trigger on a long-anticipated initial public offering this Friday, according to several published reports.

It’ll be the third bite of the IPO apple for the Pittsburgh-based specialty chain. But if any time is a right time, that time is now, the company suggested in its prospectus, pointing to the graying of the baby boomer, coupled with increased pursuit of healthier lifestyles, which makes for a strong investment proposition for an already-established specialty channel retailer.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — In a sneeze heard around the world, allergy season is afoot, but the country’s retail pharmacies are on call to help the estimated 60 million Americans whose sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and congestion will drive them to wit’s end this year.

NEW YORK — Bainbridge & Knight's Lichi Super Fruit Diet supplement has made its way to CVS/pharmacy.

The company said its new distribution deal signals major growth for the product, which will be rolled out in all of CVS' 7,000-plus locations.

Currently sold at Rite Aid, GNC, Duane Reade, A&P, ShopRite, Weis Markets, Harmon, Pathmark, Kings Supermarket and Circle K, as well as on Walgreens.com, for $29.99, Lichi Super Fruit Diet comes with 90 soft gels in a bottle for a 30-day supply.

NEW YORK — Hitting select mass retail locations in April is the new FX Wild Harvest Hydra Silk collection, which contains a blend of natural, wild ingredients harvested from different regions of the world to make hair shiny, thicker and fuller.

The new FX Wild Harvest Hydra Silk collection includes:

The drug store channel isn’t maximizing its potential in the consumer electronics category. According to research by TWICE and the Stevenson Co., CE sales at Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS amounted to $111 billion last year, less than 1% of the chains’ combined revenue. At Walmart, electronics comprise about 7% of sales. TWICE’s research also revealed that CE sales at all three drug chains were down last year.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — February sales at Rite Aid increased 1% over the prior-year period, while the chain's front-end and pharmacy same-store sales increased 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively.

Total drug store sales for the five-week period increased 0.1% to about $2.44 billion, Rite Aid reported.

PEAPACK, N.J. — Consumer products company Scerene Healthcare is bringing its Puristics Totally Ageless skin care line to Walgreens on a regional basis in April.

The collection is available in select markets at select retail locations, including Rite Aid, King Soopers and Harris Teeter. Beginning in April, the line also will be available in Walgreens in the Milwaukee, Madison, Wis., and Denver regions.