Editor’s Note: Women to Watch

We are proud to do our part. 

Drug Store News’ second annual Top Women in Health, Beauty and Wellness event, held virtually in late October, once again highlighted the successful sisterhood between women in all parts of the mass retail industry. The result is a concerted effort by women, individually and collectively, to help other women thrive in this marketplace. 

The 2020 version of this three-day event showcased more than 60 women honored by their co-workers and other industry officials for the work they have done to make the mass retail world a better and more profitable place to work in. Just as importantly, the event also featured two virtual webinars with key industry officials and retailer executives from many of the nation’s largest chains, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Kroger. 

These panelists discussed what women have done for the mass retail industry and what the industry needs to do to not only keep and attract the best and brightest female workers, but find ways to keep them involved in the future of our world. 

Frankly, though, I think women have this all under control. As discussed during the webinars, women, with some assistance from men in the industry, are taking the right steps to advocate for themselves and to earn the recognition they most definitely deserve from their peers. They are rising to the occasion to help their companies meet the many challenges we, collectively, face during both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and from new competition that completely has changed the way retailers need to go to market. 

We need more of it. We need more women to realize that they can reach their goals in the mass retail industry, and we need to keep the best and brightest in the industry by giving them the support they want and need to stick around. We also need industry officials — of both genders — to pay more and more attention to what they need to do to help them attain these goals. 

We are headed in the right direction. Now, we have to do more to encourage these women to give their best and to reward them with what they need to move up the corporate ladder. 

Drug Store News is proud to recognize this year’s honorees and to do our part to help the mass retail industry grow.