Top Retailers

NEW YORK — Credit Suisse on Tuesday speculated that Safeway may be considering either a sale or acquisition. 

SAN FRANCISCO — McKesson and Rite Aid on Tuesday announced the signing of an expanded distribution agreement to include both brand and generic pharmaceuticals. The new five-year agreement, which extends through March 2019, creates efficiencies for both companies by leveraging the strength of Rite Aid as one of the leading national drug store chains in the United States, and McKesson as a leader in pharmaceutical sourcing and supply chain management, the companies reported. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Further expanding the scope of convenient, preventive health care services provided by its pharmacists, Walgreens on Thursday announced it is now offering daily testing for cholesterol, blood glucose and body composition at nearly 200 stores in California. Each test also includes a free blood pressure reading and personal consultation with a Walgreens pharmacist.

NASHVILLE — The Little Clinic continues to expand its geographic footprint with openings this month inside Kroger stores in the Cincinnati region and Louisville, Ky.

On Feb. 12, the company opened its newest clinic inside the Kroger Marketplace in Middletown, Ohio.

"Wherever you are in Cincinnati, one of our clinics is not far away," said Ken Patric, chief medical officer for The Little Clinic. "Adding additional clinics in the area allows a greater number of consumers close access to convenient, quality healthcare.”

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — New research conducted by CVS Caremark and Brigham and Women's Hospital identifies five key features of Value-Based Insurance Design plans that are associated with the greatest impact on medication adherence.

The study, which is published online Thursday in Health Affairs and also will appear in the journal's March issue, was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization Initiative.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Acosta Sales & Marketing, a sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry, has signed an agreement to acquire Anderson Daymon Worldwide, the sales and marketing agency that exclusively serves Costco Wholesale.

AUSTIN, TX — Whole Foods Market said total sales for the first quarter ended Jan. 19 climbed 10% to a record $4.2 billion. But those results reportedly missed analysts’ expectations, and the company has lowered its earnings outlook for 2014 as a result.

Momentum at Whole Foods — as well as shares — slipped. Comparable store sales for the quarter increased 5.4%, compared to a 7.2% increase in the prior year.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid on Wednesday named the two winners of the 2013 Favorite Pharmacy Team Member contest — a pharmacy cashier from Cliffside Park, N.J., and a loyal customer of the company's store in Mansfield, Mass. Both were selected at random from more than 14,000 entries in the 10th annual contest honoring Rite Aid's pharmacy team members for their commitment to customer care and service.