Top Retailers

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway's plans to open stores in the San Francisco Bay Area are under way, according to published reports.

The SF Bay Area store sites include Burlingame, Campbell, Castro Valley, El Cerrito, Los Gatos and Pleasanton, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The company initially announced plans to open approximately 15 new Lifestyle-format stores and complete approximately 60 Lifestyle remodels throughout its chain in its third-quarter earnings report last October. Safeway will report its fourth-quarter earnings Feb. 24.

SALT LAKE CITY — Identigene last month began placing its Identigene DNA paternity test kit on the shelves of New York-based Duane Reade pharmacies after meeting the more restrictive testing requirements for the state.


LOS ANGELES — Kroger banners Ralphs and Food 4 Less/Foods Co have kicked off their respective charitable campaigns to benefit children in the markets they serve.

SUPPLIER NEWS — JocottBrands, a developer and marketer of branded consumer products, has introduced its new Argan Magic hair care line exclusively at CVS/pharmacy. The products are made with Argan Oil, a natural oil that is native to Morocco and derived from the crushed fruit and nuts of the Argan tree. The trio of Argan Magic products includes Intensive hair oil, Nourishing hair cream and Restorative hair mask. Prices are $7.99 to $9.99.



PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee last week appointed Helena Foulkes, EVP and chief marketing officer for CVS Caremark, to the R.I. Economic Development Corp. board of directors, according to published reports.

Foulkes will serve as vice chairwoman of the EDC board. She is the first female to serve in this capacity.

Just when you thought the low end of the generic drug price spectrum couldn’t get any more commoditized, the $2 price point debuted with a big splash in September 2010.


ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Vic Curtis has come a long way since he began working for Costco Wholesale in 1991 as a pharmacy manager. 


Recently, he was promoted to SVP pharmacy and has seen action in prescription and OTC merchandising, pharmacy operations, mail-order and Internet-based pharmacy, and pharmacy benefit management services, as part of Costco’s team led by Charlie Burnett, the “dean” of Costco’s pharmacy/health and beauty business.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Tony Montini returned to Rite Aid just in time to help leverage what is becoming a very powerful Wellness+ loyalty card program that has cracked the code for the chain in terms of tying the front-end to the back bench by way of the patient. 


And while Montini returns to the retail ranks as SVP category management, he is well-prepared to make Wellness+ work gangbusters with the supplier community. His background is in corporate marketing with advertising agency Marc USA, where he was EVP and COO.