KROGER

CINCINNATI — A database that held the names and email addresses of Kroger customers has been breached, the retailer announced.

The supermarket conglomerate said that the incident occurred at its third-party vendor, Epsilon, which manages Kroger's customer email database and communications.

Kroger apologized to its customers and urged them not to open any messages from senders that they do not know, noting that Kroger would never ask for personal information (i.e., credit card or social security information) via email.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The former head of a now defunct pharmacy chain has died, according to published reports.

Rick Keltsch, who led the Keltsch Bros. pharmacy chain as the company's president and CEO until its merger with Scott's Food & Pharmacy — a regional chain that was a subsidiary of Supervalu before being acquired by Kroger in April 2007 — died unexpectedly on Wednesday. He was 64 years old.

Keltsch is survived by his wife Jennie, children and grandchildren.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — The Little Clinic has opened a new location inside Kroger's new Marketplace store in Shelbyville, Tenn., according to a local news report.

The opening marks the 11th clinic in the area.

"Being part of a brand-new Kroger Marketplace allows us to increase accessibility of our services for those who will enjoy the many offerings at this store," Tim Pruitt, divisional VP of The Little Clinic, was quoted as saying.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — An ice cream brand making its U.S. debut is at the forefront of a three-part film series starring actress Rachel Bilson.

Magnum, a 20-year-old Unilever brand, said the films were directed by fashion guru Karl Lagerfeld and are a platform to introduce the premium ice cream products to U.S. consumers. The films, which will debut at the Tribeca Flm Festival, also can be viewed on the brand's Facebook page next month.

CINCINNATI — Kroger's board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 10.5 cents per share, the same payout amount as January.

The dividend will be paid June 1 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 16.

GUILFORD, Conn. — ScarAway announced that two drug wholesalers now will carry its over-the-counter scar care products.

Few supermarkets make health and wellness as central to their business as Hy-Vee, a West Des Moines, Iowa-based chain.

In December 2010, the chain announced it would become one of a number of retailers — including Kroger and Safeway — to participate in Pharmacy Saver, a new program offered in collaboration with UnitedHealthcare, the country’s largest Medicare Part D insurer. The program was launched, in part, as a response to the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan, launched in late September 2010.

Publix routinely makes strategic moves to enhance the customer experience in the pharmacy and health-and-wellness arena that are rooted in the customer service mindset that has made its supermarkets so popular.

Last fall the company introduced a new larger, triangular-shaped pill bottle that is designed to be easier to open. While the pill bottle redesign didn’t go as far as the award-winning program Target introduced a few years back, the move underscored the fact that Publix is a pharmacy innovator.