Special Reports Archive

Growing the health-and-wellness business remains a top priority for Sam’s Club as the warehouse club operator has identified those key categories as areas where it can demonstrate value, drive member loyalty and gain market share.


Sam’s has high expectations for health and wellness, along with food and consumables, as it looks to deliver on its brand promise of “savings made simple” and maintain the same-store sales momentum experienced throughout 2010 that culminated with a 2.7% gain in the fourth quarter.


With a new leader at the helm, a robust management team in place and an unwavering focus on driving medication adherence and reducing healthcare costs, CVS Caremark remains squarely on the growth path and continues to play an increasingly important role in U.S. health care with its far-reaching store network and arsenal of products and services.


Kerr Drug describes its free prescription delivery service — launched in fall 2010 and renewed to positive customer response for 2011 — as “old school innovation.” If “old school” means anticipating consumers’ health and everyday-product needs, and meeting them with a down-home approach to store service and a broader-than-usual menu of pharmacy care options, then the tag could apply to Kerr’s entire business strategy.


The brand-new Fresh Health Prescription Plan from Brookshire Grocery was rolled out on March 10. It’s a comprehensive prescription plan that shoppers in the chain’s new Fresh by Brookshire’s store, which opened in March 2010, can purchase for a $10 membership fee. 


“The program covers generic and brand prescriptions at very competitive pricing compared to what they’d pay with insurance and third-party plans,” said Jim Cousineau, Brookshire SVP pharmacy operations.


After being hemmed in by recession, cash flow problems and costs, a venerable lion of West Coast food and drug retailing is roaring again. 


Offering a holistic approach to health is the goal of K-VA-T Food City stores, integrating pharmacy, food and good living.


To this end, last spring the chain launched NuVal, a nutritional scoring system that helps consumers make better food choices. The system was launched in all stores, and according to Don Clark, VP pharmacy services, it’s doing very well. 


You can’t be all things to all people, but you can be all things to one person. That’s the opportunity Giant Eagle is grabbing with the number of ways the Pittsburgh food-and-pharmacy retailer interacts with patients. 


“Our goal is to help those within our communities live healthier, longer lives,” Dan Donovan, Giant Eagle spokesman, told Drug Store News. “We look to do this in a number of ways … [through] initiatives, such as our health and beauty care business, in-store retail health clinics and our group of skilled dietitians.”


A weak job market and enduring housing challenges in Florida weren’t enough to derail the onward march of Publix last year as the state’s leading supermarket chain expanded its total store count, grew same-store sales and ended the year with record results.