Top Retailers

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Expectations of improved profitability at Dollar General mean the company will keep the pedal to the metal in terms of expansion.

(THE NEWS: Dollar General keeps growing. For the full story, click here)

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — "Dispense-as-written" prescriptions are exacerbating medication nonadherence and costing the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and CVS Caremark.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The former head of a now defunct pharmacy chain has died, according to published reports.

Rick Keltsch, who led the Keltsch Bros. pharmacy chain as the company's president and CEO until its merger with Scott's Food & Pharmacy — a regional chain that was a subsidiary of Supervalu before being acquired by Kroger in April 2007 — died unexpectedly on Wednesday. He was 64 years old.

Keltsch is survived by his wife Jennie, children and grandchildren.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens in March expanded Joseph Magnacca’s role. As president of daily living products and solutions, Magnacca — the former Shoppers Drug Mart vet who as chief merchant of Duane Reade proved instrumental in the reinvention of the New York drug store chain — will oversee Walgreens’ marketing and merchandising operations, led by chief marketing officer Kim Feil and chief merchandising officer Bryan Pugh, but will report directly to president and CEO Greg Wasson.

BOSTON — Boston Medical Center announced that it has received a $50,000 grant for the Autism Clinic from CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, the private foundation created by CVS Caremark.

BMC is one of 72 organizations selected from a pool of 660 applicants to receive an individual or multiyear grant for 2010. The grant will allow the Autism Clinic to develop a written behavioral curriculum for hands-on training for parents with low income and/or limited-English proficiency.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart Stores said it will open a new office in Atlanta, positioning the retailer to more effectively manage nearly 1,600 stores in 20 Eastern U.S. states and focus on opportunities to grow its business in such states as New York.

The new Eastern business unit will be run by Rosalind Brewer, president of Walmart East and EVP Walmart U.S.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — In celebration of Earth Day this weekend, Walgreens will turn off select interior lights and lighted exterior signage at 1,415 stores across the country for one hour on Saturday.

In New York, the Walgreens billboard in Times Square also will go dark, the drug store chain said.

DEERFIELD, Ill., and BELLEVUE, Wash. — Shortly after posting record second-quarter sales on Tuesday, Walgreens announced that it would "accelerate its online strategy" by acquiring e-retailer Drugstore.com for about $429 million, subject to customary conditions.