Top Retailers

MINNEAPOLIS — Despite an overall decrease in free standing insert coupon activity, retailer promotion pages within the FSI vehicles recorded a 30.7% increase to more than 17 billion pages in 2011, continuing the significant annual increases in retailer promotion activity, which began in 2007, Kantar Media reported Wednesday.

Overall, the number of free-standing insert coupons distributed through 2011 dropped 6.5% compared with 2010. This decline in FSI coupon activity followed two consecutive years of annual increases of 8% in 2009 and 7.2% in 2010.

DALLAS — U.S. Preventive Medicine on Wednesday named Ronald Loveless its vice chairman. Loveless will serve alongside vice chairman Ron Loeppke, who joined the company in 2008 to direct product innovation, research and clinical standards at the company.

Loveless, a Walmart retiree and first CEO of Sam's Club, will play a key role in guiding the growth of U.S. Preventive Medicine in the United States, as well as international markets, the company stated.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Tuesday named Joseph Douglas the grocer's VP pharmacy.

Douglas will oversee the day-to-day merchandising, operation and management of Weis Markets’ 122 pharmacies and also will direct the company’s lifestyle initiatives’ team, which focuses on health-and-wellness issues. Douglas will report to Kurt Schertle, SVP sales and merchandising.

Douglas was a 27-year Walgreens veteran, where he was VP transforming community practice.

CHICAGO — Investment research firm Morningstar has named the outgoing CEO of Costco Wholesale as its 2011 CEO of the Year, the company said Wednesday.

Costco CEO Jim Sinegal, who retired on New Year's Day, received the recognition for what Morningstar called his "exemplary corporate stewardship, independent thinking" and creating "lasting value for shareholders."

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Americans make hundreds of millions of New Year's resolutions every year, following some to the letter and ignoring others. Health-related resolutions are among the most common, giving pharmacy retailers a way to pitch in and help.

GLENVIEW, Ill. — Mead Johnson Nutrition over the holidays conducted a new round of testing on samples of a batch of Enfamil Premium Newborn powdered formula related to a Food and Drug Administration investigation.

Drawn from samples parallel to those being tested by public health officials and following the same methodology, the new testing did not detect any presence of Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii), the company stated.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart parent company Sears Holdings hired Ron Boire as EVP, chief merchandising officer and president of Sears and Kmart formats.

Boire, who previously was president and CEO of Brookstone, will lead merchandising and retail stores for both the Sears and Kmart brands.

"He will work with our leadership team to better serve our customers and Shop Your Way Rewards Members by integrating their experiences across our stores, online, services, and mobile capabilities," the company said.

NEW YORK — Duane Reade continues to raise the bar and reshape how consumers shop consumables at drug stores with its revamped 24-hour location at 52nd Street and Broadway in New York.


To better reflect the needs of the neighborhood, which is brimming largely with tourists and business travelers, Duane Reade transformed the former 3,100-sq.-ft. Duane Reade Express store into a 20,000-sq.-ft. health, beauty and daily living destination.