Personnel Updates:

Kinney Drugs, which operates 95 stores in central and northern New York and Vermont, announced on Thursday that Jim Wuest, VP marketing, plans to retire at the end of the year.

Rite Aid announced that Mike Cirilli has joined as Senior Director of OTC and Private Label.

Industry Insight:

Walgreen opened its second and newest Chicago flagship store in the historic Noel State Bank building, constructed in 1919. Over the past two years, Walgreens has worked with the city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks on the building’s restoration. The store’s expanded features include the original bank vault, which will be repurposed as a “Vitamin Vault” in the health and wellness section, and a state-of-the-art pharmacy with iPad-equipped health guides.

Mergers and Acquisitions:

CVS/pharmacy will acquire 19 Medicine Chest drug stores in Texas during the last weekend of December. CVS/pharmacy will operate nine of the acquired locations and relocate 10 other Medicine Chest pharmacies into nearby existing CVS/pharmacy locations. Medicine Chest will continue to operate its remaining ten locations.