Personnel Updates
• Hy-Vee Inc. (32) announced Aaron Wiese was named President of Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions and Amber Pharmacy. He succeeds Mike Agostino, who was named Hy-Vee’s VP of Pharmacy Business Development.
• National Association of Chain Drug Stores (32) elected Chris Lane, Exec VP of Wakefern Food, as Chairman.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (136) has appointed Gunjan Bhow as its new Chief Digital Officer. The retailer also named Vineet Mehra as Chief Marketing Officer. Colin Nelson was named Chief Supply Chain Officer. Annie Murphy was named Chief Commercial Officer. Heather Dixon was named Controller and Chief Accounting Officer.
Mergers and Acquisitions
• ProCare Pharmacy, a subsidiary of CVS Health has entered an agreement to buy certain assets related to Premier Pharmacy Service’s specialty pharmacy business that serves 367 hospitals across 66 health systems.
Industry Insight
• The Bartell Drug Company is introducing same-day prescription delivery to consumers via a partnership with NimbleRx. The service will be offered at three pilot stores, and then will expand to other locations.
• CVS Health is partnering with SmileDirectClub. After a successful pilot in 13 CVS Pharmacy stores, SmileDirectClub will open “SmileShops” in hundreds of its locations in 2019, with the potential to expand to more than a 1,000 stores during the next several years.
• Madison Reed announced a national expansion into more than 1,200 Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. locations.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. announced that it will be implementing a chainwide policy requiring a shopper to be at least 21 years old to purchase tobacco products, effective September 1.
Real Estate
• CVS Health revealed plans to close 46 underperforming stores in Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Washington, DC.
• Fred’s Inc. announced it will close an additional 104 underperforming locations in the Southeast by the end of June.
