RITE AID

CAMP HILL, Pa. – Rite Aid got a boost in its monthly same-store sales from Hurricane Sandy, the company said Thursday.

Announcing its October sales results, the retail pharmacy chain said same-store sales decreased by 1.1%. Front-end comps increased by 1.5%, while pharmacy comps decreased by 2.3%, including a negative effect of 971 basis points from new generic introductions; same-store prescription count increased by 4.7%.

NEW YORK — Hurricane Sandy may have shut down lower Manhattan for a few days, but research analyst Ed Kelly of Credit Suisse was bullish on how the storm system may have whipped up front-end sales for pharmacy operators. 

CAMP HILL, Pa. – Rite Aid is stocking extra emergency supplies and keeping its pharmacies open as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast, the retail pharmacy chain said.

The company said that stores in the potential path of the storm had increased supplies of bottled water, flashlights, batteries, canned food for people and pets, first aid supplies, disposable cameras, duct tape and cleaning supplies.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jondo-USA, a maker of personalized photo and decor products, is making it easy for consumers to create and order framed prints from their smartphone and digital camera photos with the new Snapbox framed prints.

SnapBox products will be available for pick-up and pay at 12,000 retail locations, including Rite Aid and Bartell Drugs, with free shipping to those locations.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is making its pharmacists available free of charge to seniors and their caregivers for personalized Medicare Part D consultations. Seniors can also use Rite Aid's dedicated Medicare Advisor comparison tools online at RiteAid.com/medicareadvisor.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid pharmacists on Long Island in New York state are participating in a diabetes initiative run by health insurer UnitedHealth Group, the two companies said Thursday.

The pharmacists are part of the Diabetes Control Program, itself part of UnitedHealth's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance. The program is available to residents of the island enrolled in UnitedHealthcare's employer-sponsored health plans.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid has appointed president and CEO John Standley as chairman, the retail pharmacy chain said Friday.

Rite Aid announced that its board of directors had elected Standley to replace current chairman Mary Sammons, effective June 21. Sammons has served as chairman since June 2007 and plans to step down at the company's annual stockholder meeting.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, once was among the most feared childhood diseases and was a frequent killer of young children. Today, it's mostly under control, a testament to the importance of vaccinations.

(THE NEWS: Pertussis cases increase tenfold in Washington over May 2011. For the full story, click here )