In this Issue

MIDDLETON, Tenn. — Fred's Super Dollar is piloting a new store concept called GetWell Drug and Dollar that features a heavy focus on pharmacy, OTC and value-oriented convenience basics. The 8,000-sq.-ft. locations, half the size of a typical Fred's, will field some 7,500 front-end SKUs, 30% of which will be comprised of health-and-wellness items.

When Supervalu announced this past summer a review of strategic alternatives, its goals were to improve its business, better position the company for the future and create the best opportunity to deliver shareholder value. This effort has led to the sale of 877 stores to AB Acquistion.

Following the sale, Supervalu will consist of its wholesaler business, which serves 1,950 stores across the country; Save-A-Lot with approximately 1,300 stores across 35 states; and Supervalu's regional retail food banners Cub, Farm Fresh, Shoppers, Shop 'n Save and Hornbacher's.

Omnichannel. It's one of the hottest topics in retail. It's seamless retailing in real-time. It's making sure that the brand experience coming out of a retailer is exemplary no matter how a consumer chooses to engage — on the e-commerce site, through an app for the tablet or smartphone, within the brick-and-mortar location or any two of those venues simultaneously.

When Albertson's LLC announced last month that its parent company, AB Acquisition, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, signed an agreement to acquire 877 stores from Supervalu in a deal valued at some $3.3 billion — a move that will reunite all Albertsons stores under one operator — it recast the rankings of the industry's leading pharmacy retailers.

There were more sick people cruising the cold relief aisles this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu incidence peaked at 6.1% this season, making this season the most virulent since the 2007-2008 season — excepting the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, which was atypical.

With that in mind, sales of cough and cold medicines — or sales of just about anything else that had something to do with the flu, from hand sanitizers to flu shots — were through the roof.

Shifting patients away from hospital emergency rooms and into retail-based and urgent care walk-in clinics can significantly lower healthcare costs, improve access to care and reduce the impact of such chronic diseases as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, two health benefits experts asserted in a recent online presentation.

MIDDLETON, Tenn. — Fred’s Super Dollar is testing a smaller box Fred’s, complete with a pharmacy, as a potential growth engine going forward.

It’s half the size of a typical 16,000-sq.-ft. Fred’s location, with a lot of merchandising emphasis being placed on the Fred’s pharmacy. Pharmacy is seen as a growth catalyst for the company; 36.4% of Fred’s sales are comprised of prescription medicines, the Memphis-based retailer stated.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is putting all the pieces in place in anticipation of its inaugural Total Store Expo to be held this August in Las Vegas.