RETAIL NEWS

“I’m not willing to say it was a great move at this point.”—BusinessWeek Feb. 12, 2009.

That’s what Morningstar analyst Mitchell Corwin had to say about the 2007 merger that created the $76 billion healthcare goliath now known as CVS Caremark. He’s entitled to his opinion, but you have to believe there was probably a whole lot of people waiting to greet Columbus upon his return to remind him that despite his killer suntan, the world most definitely was still flat. And no amount of corn or cocoa would make them think otherwise.

As first reported Wednesday, Feb. 25 by DrugStoreNews.com, L'Oreal Paris' sudden and unexpected decision to close its two U.S. retail stores effective Saturday is important, as it not only serves as a reflection of the current times but also means that retailers will likely see greater in-store innovation as L'Oreal further leverages what it learned from these "Living Labs" to enhance the in-store shopping experience at mass.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a report Thursday showing a record number of stroke and heart disease medications in clinical trials or awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval, with more than 300 this year, compared to 146 in 2005.