Ohio sports, Rx team up to win customers

Cleveland’s hometown drug store this past fall signed a major deal with Cleveland’s best shot at becoming a title town. Fifty-eight of Discount Drug Mart’s 69 Ohio locations have become exclusive, full-service retail outlets to sell tickets to all Quicken Loans Arena events, including courtside seats for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and tickets to the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, Arena Football League’s Cleveland Gladiators, concerts and other events.

As part of the deal, Discount Drug’s brand will be featured on all Cavaliers/Monsters/Gladiators communications, and the pharmacy will be the sponsor of a half-time giveaway for fans.

This past fall, Discount Drug introduced a “Winter Wellness” care package, which included a hand sanitizer, antihistamine and other products to ward off winter colds, with each prescription to its loyalty cardholders, already 1 million strong. “That was a very successful program,” Tom McConnell, CFO and SVP finance, told Drug Store News. “We’re going to continue [that wellness theme] with a summer wellness program,” he added. Frequent use of the loyalty card also ties into the Quicken Loans Arena marketing deal—customers can earn points with each purchase that can be redeemed for Cleveland Cavaliers jerseys or other merchandise.

Other significant events for Discount Drug in the past year include the addition of wigs to its already extensive lineup of durable medical equipment. The wigs are designed for oncology patients and can retail from $150 to $1,000. Many insurers provide their patients with an allowance toward the purchase of a wig, McConnell said.