Content about retail

NEW YORK Toys continue to dominate wish lists this holiday season, according to a new poll by Harris Interactive.

Of 3,084 U.S. adults surveyed online between Oct. 11 and 18, 53% of respondents said that they plan to purchase toys as gifts this year. What's more, nearly 3-out-of-4 consumers in a household with children (73%) said they will purchase toys as gifts this year.

Topping the toys list this year includes books (43%), video games (32%) and board games (32%). Top gift picks also include:

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The fact that CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic was highlighted as an innovator of healthcare delivery by the World Economic Forum's Innovation Health Care Delivery Project is important on several fronts. Not only does the recognition further illustrate the important role that convenient care clinics are playing in U.S. health care, but perhaps even more importantly, this forum also was a global stage for the clinic operator.

WASHINGTON — A coalition of six associations, including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, on Thursday called on Congress to repeal the requirement that prevents consumers from using their flexible spending accounts to purchase over-the-counter medicines without a prescription as of Jan. 1.

COLUMBUS, Ohio Huntington on Thursday announced the opening of the first of its Giant Eagle in-store branches, part of an exclusive, 15-year agreement announced in September to install seven-day-a-week, full-service branches in at least 103 Giant Eagle supermarkets.

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.