Content about retail

WOONSOCKET, R.I. With the holiday season just around the corner, CVS/pharmacy is encouraging older adults and their caregivers to make family health part of the conversation during family gatherings.

With annual enrollment for Medicare Part D under way through Dec. 31, now is the ideal time for seniors and their caregivers to review their medication regimen and identify ways to save on annual medication costs, the company stated.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. Dollar Tree on Wednesday announced that it has completed its purchase of the assets of 86 Dollar Giant stores for approximately $52 million in cash, plus the assumption of certain liabilities.

This marks Dollar Tree's first expansion of retail operations outside of the United States.

Now that more drug stores have moved into the grocery business, consumers are gaining more convenient access to food.

As a result, drug stores, which have always been synonymous with health and wellness, also have a tremendous opportunity to meet the nutrition needs of time-starved shoppers by stocking their shelves with healthier foods.

Food manufacturers, like Kellogg, see an opportunity for retail pharmacies to help reinvent the way groceries are merchandised to shoppers and help consumers make better decisions when buying food.

TAMPA, Fla. — Biopharmaceutical company Oragenics has expanded retail distribution of its oral care probiotic EvoraPlus through an agreement with Winn-Dixie Stores. EvoraPlus will be sold in select Winn-Dixie locations, beginning in January 2011.

Should retail pharmacists tell their patients to eat a good breakfast?

A mountain of data showing the health benefits of a good breakfast — one that includes high-fiber foods like cereals and grains — point to an unequivocal answer: absolutely.
Studies have proven that eating breakfast is closely linked to healthy body weights, improved mental alertness and physical performance. Plus, people who skip breakfast don’t make up for the missed nutrients later in the day.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Food Marketing Institute on Tuesday announced the appointment of Susan Borra as SVP communications for the nation’s largest food retail trade association, effective Dec. 1.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In a ruling hailed by retail pharmacy leaders, the Department of Defense now is insisting that drug manufacturers extend the same discounts for prescription drugs sold at community pharmacies that the military gets for medicines dispensed through base dispensaries or mail order.

PRINCETON, N.J. —Arm & Hammer’s new Double Duty clumping cat litter’s breakthrough formula allows cat owners to address feces and urine odors in the litter box. More than 90% of cat owners said eliminating odor from feces and urine is important to them in a litter product, but most products on the market concentrate only on the pungent ammonia smell of cat urine.

DALLAS —Frito-Lay continues its commitment to college football fans with a new, limited-edition football-shaped version of its classic tortilla chips. The game day-inspired chips’ hearty texture makes them naturals for dipping. The chips are available in 12-oz. bags and carry a suggested retail price of $3.99.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Retail pharmacies scored a big victory in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule, which puts the kibosh on pricing policies that would have severely affected retail pharmacies' ability to make money from generic drugs, and thus forced them to turn away Medicaid patients.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — There currently are about 1,200 retail clinics and more than 100,000 certified immunizing pharmacists. Expect those numbers to rise steadily as other employers looks to mimic Citi's free flu shot card program -- and you can bet they will.

(THE NEWS: Citi's flu care card pushes employers toward lower-cost retail channels. For the full story, click here)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association heralded the withdrawal of two provisions from the Medicaid program that would have had retail pharmacies selling generic drugs at a loss.