Top Retailers

Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer to retire Feb. 1
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The ranks of female retail CEOs is losing one of its highest-profile members.

Rosalind G. Brewer, 54, has told Walmart she plans to retire as executive VP, president and CEO of Sam’s Club, effective Feb. 1, 2017. She will be succeeded by company veteran John Furner, 42, who joined Walmart as an hourly associate in 1993, effective Feb. 1. The news was announced in a filing by the chain.
Meijer prescription program surpasses $500M customer savings milestone
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer pharmacies’ prescription program this month surpassed the $500 million milestone in savings for customers. The program, launched in Oct. 2006, has filled nearly 40 million free prescriptions in the past 10-plus years.

Former Walmart chief merchant named Family Dollar COO

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dollar Tree and its Family Dollar subsidiary on Thursday added former Walmart chief merchant Duncan Mac Naughton to the team and promoted Dollar Tree president and COO Gary Philbin to the role of enterprise president.
Theranos cuts 41% of workforce

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Theranos Friday announced it will cut 155 jobs, or 41% of its workforce, leaving the company with 220 employees.

According to Palo Alto-based Theranos, further re-engineering of the company’s operations are needed as it works towards commercialization of its miniLab testing platform and its related technologies.
Multivitamins still provide plenty of opportunities via gummies, probiotics

Overall, sales of multivitamins are relatively flat — 0.2% annual growth toward a $1.8 billion base. But according to the latest consumer survey from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, 3-in-4 adults use a multivitamin. So, have sales of multivitamins plateaued, or are there pockets of opportunity out there?
Newly created independent Ahold company names Roger Wheeler president

NEW YORK — Retail Business Services, an independent company that provides support services to Ahold USA and Delhaize America local brands, appointed Roger Wheeler as its president.

Wheeler has more than 20 years in retail operations, including a number of roles with Stop & Shop and Ahold USA, including stints as senior vice president of supply chain and third party management, Oracle program leader and VP of meat and seafood.
Costco net sales rise by 5% in December

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco Wholesale’s net sales increased by 5% year over year to $13 billion during a five-week period ended Jan. 1. For the 18-week period ended Jan. 1, net sales rose to $43.18 billion versus $41.66 billion during the same period in 2015.

Comparable store sales rose by 3% in the United States in the five-week period, and a total of 1% during the 18-week period. Canadian stores were Costco’s shining star when looking at both periods, increasing 7% in the five-week period and 5% in the 18-week period.
Walgreens Q1 sales up 1.4% as it works toward closing Rite Aid deal

DEERFIELD, Ill. – Still no announcement that Walgreens Boots Alliance has closed the deal on its proposed acquisition of Rite Aid, but that announcement will come soon, the company stated Thursday morning after posting first quarter sales of $20.7 billion, up 1.4%.
Lewis Drug adds new patient service

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Lewis Drug will implement the iMedicare platform at its 45 pharmacy locations.

The iMedicare platform provides a software solution allowing customers to find and switch Medicare plans during the open enrollment period, and continues to offer the resource throughout the year.
A major shift from heavy buying to light buying

A key trend captured by the 2016 TABS Analytics Vitamin and Minerals Supplements study is the continued decline in the number of heavy buyers (those who purchased more than three types of vitamins in a year). Heavy-buyer penetration peaked at 40% in 2012, but in 2016, heavy-buyer penetration dropped to 30%.

(Click here to view the full VMS Report.)