Scorpiniti's vision for pharmacy will benefit new role

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — In recent years, Duane Reade has gone from simply being Manhattan's homegrown pharmacy chain to a truly innovative retailer with unique product offerings and marketing concepts that even the biggest retailers can learn from. And visionary merchant Joe Magnacca has received a lot of credit for the chain's transformation — as he should. However, on the pharmacy side of the equation, Frank Scorpiniti was busy leading some important health-and-wellness initiatives at Duane Reade, including helping to develop a growing clinic program in one of the most difficult clinic markets in the country.

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With more than 20 years of retail pharmacy experience, Scorpiniti served as SVP pharmacy operations at Duane Reade, a post he held since December 2008. At Duane Reade, the efforts on the back end in pharmacy, spearheaded by Scorpiniti and his team, resulted in a cost reduction for the company, better in-stocks for stores and less wait time for pharmacy customers.

Now, Scorpiniti inherits one of the most exciting new pharmacy prototypes in the new Rexall stores and will oversee operations for the Canadian retailer as it looks to add the fresh new concept to more of its stores. Called Rexall Healthy Living Pharmacy, the concept is aimed at making its stores innovative health destinations that will provide customers with preventive-health products and solutions, information to lead healthier lives and an integrated approach that weds such clinical capabilities as disease state management with wellness counseling.