Top Retailers

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy's ExtraCare Rewards program, which has more than 67 million active cardholders and this year celebrates its 10-year anniversary, announced on Friday the launch of a new interactive digital campaign that encourages cardholders to take advantage of their earned rewards, as well as a new look for the ExtraBucks rewards receipt.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Fitness and nutrition programs have been core parts of employer-based wellness programs before, including the ones Take Care operates for such employers as Harrah's Casinos. But, by taking an ownership position in the company that provides the fitness offering, Walgreens/Take Care has the opportunity to look for creative ways to bring new wellness-type programs to its stores through its retail clinics, perhaps even as part of a larger weight-loss management program.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens recently surpassed 1 million fans on Facebook, the pharmacy operator announced Friday, and also has integrated its network of more than 7,700 drug stores through mobile platforms on Facebook Places and Foursquare.

Consequently, Walgreens quickly has become the chain drug store retailer with the largest following on Foursquare, while developing a growing presence on other social communities, including Twitter and YouTube.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday announced the expansion of its fresh food selection at its location at Third Street and Williams Avenue in San Francisco's Bayview community, a neighborhood identified as a food desert. The drug store now offers a larger assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean protein and other healthy meal components.

NEW YORK — In an exclusive video store tour, Walgreens' president of daily living products and solutions Joe Magnacca walked Drug Store News editor Rob Eder and the DSN.TV cameras through the new Duane Reade flagship store at 40 Wall St.

BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons is pulling the plug on its self-checkout units, which will be replaced by standard "H" lanes or express lanes, the grocer has confirmed.

The 217-store grocer that operates in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Utah has self-checkout units installed in roughly 100 of its stores. Those units will be removed by the end of the summer.

According to the grocer, the self-checkout units prevent it from providing the level of customer service it wants to offer its shoppers.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu said that its banners are hosting an event at 11 locations nationwide on Saturday to celebrate the company's private-label Angus premium beef brand.

The Family Day at the Stockman & Dakota Corral event will include games, a celebrity grill-off showdown and more.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, with the celebrity grill-off showdown will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Click here to view the list of stores participating.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Preventive health care may be signficiantly less costly than previously thought because of the expanded use of cost-effective generic medications for the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, according to researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark.