In this Issue

BROOKLYN, Ohio — Getting the most from the card category depends not only on the right merchandise, but also on the right merchandising. Outposting and signage can have a big impact on the department.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As Walmart’s U.S. stores division looks to execute a broad slate of initiatives in the coming year to recharge domestic growth, it does so under the leadership of a new chief executive and a restructured merchandising organization.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — It’s the kind of low-price power play that gives smaller-scale independent pharmacy owners — and chain drug store operators too, for that matter — the willies. In what promises to be another potent and potentially market-altering exercise in massive scale and competitive clout, Walmart has linked up with insurance heavyweight Humana to launch what it says will be the lowest-cost prescription drug plan for seniors who rely on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.



NEW YORK — Macy’s is complementing its traditional beauty counters with an open-sell space of niche beauty brands, dubbed Impulse Beauty.


By October, the open-sell concept had made its way into more than 50 Macy’s stores across the country, including the Herald Square location in New York. An additional 50 Macy’s stores will debut the concept in 2011.


Looking to bolster sales and better serve its customers, Walmart has stepped up its engagement with suppliers to review its assortment and bring in more new and innovative products — and the beauty department is no exception.


WASHINGTON — Proclaiming the potential cost-saving benefits of its signature legislative accomplishment, the massive health-reform bill enacted earlier this year, the White House is projecting that the Affordable Care Act will reduce average costs per patient enrolled in Medicare by thousands of dollars over the next decade.



DUBLIN, Ohio — Say goodbye to Kinray, the service-obsessed regional drug wholesaler. But say hello to a more muscular and diversified Cardinal Health.


The wholesale and health services giant announced Nov. 18 it will buy Kinray for $1.3 billion. The buyout, set for completion in early 2011, will be a boon to Cardinal, boosting its customer base to more than 7,000 independent drug stores, extending its reach in the Northeast and adding scale versus its wholesale rivals, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen.


FORT WORTH, Texas — Blending the power of one of the most widely used pharmacy automation systems with a massive database of prescribing physicians, two major pharmacy technology providers have unveiled a new partnership designed to give dispensing pharmacists immediate access to real-time prescriber data.


Retail pharmacy technology provider PDX and Healthcare Data Solutions announced the alliance in November. The goal, according to both companies, is to link users of the PDX Pharmacy System with a real-time prescriber verification process.