Rite Aid points to 4 programs that differentiate its retail offering

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid accomplished much in the past fiscal year to establish the chain of 4,536 stores as a destination for health and wellness, the company reported Wednesday in a 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For example, the company continued to expand the role of its Rite Aid pharmacists in delivering wellness services that go beyond filling prescriptions through its immunization efforts. "A key area of focus has been our immunizations program, which has grown significantly in recent years," Rite Aid stated. "In fiscal 2017, our pharmacists administered more than 4 million immunizations, including more than 3.2 million flu shots and approximately 0.8 million other immunizations that protect against conditions like shingles, pneumonia and whooping cough."



While immunizations will continue to be a key priority in fiscal 2018, that's not the only factor helping to identify Rite Aid as a leading health and wellness destination.



In addition to administering inoculations, Rite Aid pharmacists have also focused on improving adherence through new synchronization programs like One Trip Refills. "[This] allows our patients to refill all of their monthly maintenance medications by making a single trip to the pharmacy," Rite Aid stated. "The program has been well received by our patients, and when combined with our existing services to send alerts via text message, e-mail or phone when a prescription is ready to be picked up, it creates a more patient-friendly experience for our Rite Aid customers."



Along the front end, Rite Aid's loyalty program wellness+ with Plenti has grown significantly since its launch in April 2010. "We currently have over 30 million customers enrolled in wellness+ with Plenti and millions more enrolled by our partners throughout the coalition," Rite Aid reported. "In addition, 55% of transactions at Rite Aid now involve a wellness+ with Plenti card."



And Rite Aid's commitment to its Wellness Store format has also contributed to front end peformance.  "Our total number of Wellness stores reached 2,418 by the end of the fiscal year, which means that over 50% of all Rite Aid stores are now Wellness stores," the company stated. "We also opened 12 new stores and did 24 relocations, all in our groundbreaking Wellness format, which offers improved interior design, expanded clinical pharmacy services, innovative merchandising and new wellness product offerings. Our customers have responded favorably to this unique store format, with our Wellness stores continuing to outperform the rest of our chain in terms of both front-end same store sales and same store prescription count growth."



Rite Aid is planning to complete 200 additional Wellness remodels in fiscal 2018 along with 26 relocations and 5 new store openings. "We believe these efforts represent a cost-effective way to strengthen our store base, grow sales and offer our customers an engaging wellness experience," Rite Aid concluded.