RITE AID

NEW YORK — Consumers gravitate toward traditional pharmacies for their everyday health-and-wellness needs, according to the "2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend" survey released Monday. Among retail pharmacy operations, Walgreens enjoyed the greatest brand equity among consumers based on top consumer scores in "familiarity" and "purchase consideration" categories. Overall, Walgreens' brand equity was tabulated at 69.9, CVS/pharmacy came in at 67.4 and Rite Aid 62.5.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid category manager Paul Margeson has resigned, a company spokeswoman said.

Rumors surfaced last week that Margeson, who managed the pain care, gastrointestinal, smoking-cessation and upper-respiratory categories for the Camp Hill, Pa.-based retail pharmacy chain, had resigned.

"We thank him for his contributions to the company," Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower told Drug Store News, adding that the company intends to fill the position.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — A new campaign by Rite Aid is targeting nail polish customers.

The Camp Hill, Pa.-based retail pharmacy chain announced Thursday that it had launched the seven-week "Nail Extravaganza" campaign to engage beauty shoppers around the trend of using multiple nail polish shades.

SKILLMAN, N.J. — The Skin Cancer Foundation's Road to Healthy Skin Tour, presented by Aveeno and Rite Aid, once again is touring the country to raise skin cancer awareness.

This year, the Aveeno brand is hitting the road in the tour's customized RV to make an estimated 85 stops in 27 states from March through September. It will provide free full-body skin cancer screenings, samples of Aveeno products and educational materials.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid will be among the industry sponsors of a benefit for women's cancer research, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Rite Aid announced that it would field run-walk teams for the Entertainment Industry Foundation Revlon Run/Walk for Women events in New York and Los Angeles, while Revlon will donate $25,000 in Rite Aid beauty product sales. The retailer also will offer Revlon coupons online and will sell exclusive nail polish shades.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid reported a 2.9% increase in same-store sales for the month of April, the company said in a monthly sales report Thursday.

The boost included a 2.7% increase in front-end comps and a 3% increase in pharmacy comps, as well as a 3.8% increase in script count. Total drug store sales for the period, which ended Saturday, were nearly $2 billion, a 2.5% increase over the $1.95 billion reported in April 2011.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has elected new officers for the coming year.

For the 2012-2013 term, NACDS chairman Bob Loeffler, who also serves as chief administrative officer of H-E-B, will be succeeded by Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson. Thrifty White Pharmacy president and CEO Bob Narveson was elected as vice chairman, while Rite Aid president and CEO John Standley was appointed as treasurer, as well as a member of NACDS' executive committee. Wasson, Narveson and Standley will serve one-year terms.

LONGUEUIL, Quebec -- The Jean Coutu Group has sold 56 million of its approximately 234.4 million shares in Rite Aid, the company said Friday.

The Canadian retailing group said the $83.6 million, $1.51-per-share sale, which amounts to a nearly 24% reduction in the number of Rite Aid shares the company owns, would reduce its stake in Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid to 19.85%. The Jean Coutu group still owns about 178.4 million shares in the 4,667-store chain.