Top Retailers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Take Care Health Systems and Memorial Health on Tuesday announced a new relationship that will increase opportunities for clinical collaboration and improve patient access to high-quality, convenient and affordable healthcare options in the greater Jacksonville region.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy kicked off on June 5 its 10th annual in-store "Researching a Cure" fundraising campaign to support the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Funds raised through the campaign benefit the ALS Therapy Alliance, an organization dedicated to advancing ALS research. Through the Researching a Cure campaign, CVS/pharmacy has raised more than $23 million in its stores and online to fund new clinical research with the aim of discovering a treatment or cure for ALS. The 2011 campaign will run through June 25.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is partnering with the Skin Cancer Foundation to launch a healthy skin care campaign for the summer, the retail pharmacy chain announced Monday.

The campaign, which will last through July 26, will include free informational guides in all the chain’s stores and online, as well as promotions for skin care products and a national tour featuring free full-body skin cancer screenings by local dermatologists and advice from Rite Aid pharmacists.

CHICAGO — Registered dietitians' role in retail was emphasized as health-and-wellness professionals from retailers, manufacturers and other organizations gathered for the third annual Dietitian Summit, which was held in Philadelphia last month.

The third annual invitation-only summit — co-hosted by Ahold USA and Field Trip Factory, which unites commerce and other organizations through education — underscored that grocers stress healthy food choices by utilizing RDs, which offer customers the tools to achieve optimal health.

ALBANY, N.Y. — The cost of acquiring a Facebook “liker?" Less than 13 cents per fan, according to a Media Logic blog entry posted last week. At least that’s what retailer Kirkland's spent in its pursuit of more than 200,000 Facebook surfers who opted-in on the Kirkland's page. And because the act of a Facebook user “liking” a page is posted on that person’s newsfeed, it fast becomes a case of “if you tell two friends and they each in turn tell two friends ...”

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As promised, Walmart unveiled its smaller-format store concept, dubbed Walmart Express, this past week.

As previously reported by Drug Store News, the first store opened in the Gentry, Ark., market just in time for the company's shareholders meeting that was held last Friday morning. Two additional stores, located in Prairie Grove and Gravette, will open as soon as this week.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — After nearly four hours of music, cheering, celebrity appearances and brief presentations by senior executives, Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke wrapped up the company’s annual shareholders’ extravaganza Friday morning by sharing five priorities associated with serving what he called the next generation of customers.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has kicked off a two-week campaign that is expected to generate $5 million dollars in cash and food donations to assist 80 local food banks in communities where Kroger's customers and associates live and work.

Kroger said that its annual Bringing Hope to the Table campaign, which runs through June 11, will assist food banks that are members of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization. Since 2006, Kroger's family of stores has generated contributions of $25 million in food and funds through the campaign.