PLANO, Texas — Sales and marketing service firms Crossmark and Market Performance Group (MPG) have merged their chain drug sales businesses to form MPG Drug.

Sales and marketing service firms Crossmark and Market Performance Group (MPG) have merged their chain drug sales businesses to form MPG Drug.

The companies said Thursday that MPG Drug, a division of Crossmark, will be the largest provider of headquarter sales and retail services in the nation’s drug industry.

Leading MPG Drug will be Dave Van Howe, senior vice president and retail adviser at MPG and a former purchasing executive at Walgreen Co. Van Howe joined MPG in February 2010.

According to Crossmark and MPG, the new venture combines the strengths and resources of both companies to form one powerful division that can creates new capabilities — ranging from analytics and strategy to in-store execution — for clients in the retail drug channel.

"The integration of our capabilities, expertise and strong relationships in this channel allows us to become an industry-leading chain drug specialist," commented Ben Fischer, chief operating officer at Plano, Texas-based Crossmark. "This new division of Crossmark positively transforms the collective capabilities of both companies, enabling us to lead the way as the sales agency of preference in this channel."

Fischer noted that MPG holds a strong leadership position in the drug channel, with its top-notch chain drug sales capabilities servicing top brands across multiple categories. "MPG has well-established relationships with chain drug retailers, and their strong management team is a perfect fit with Crossmark," he stated.

Focusing on the consumer goods industry, Crossmark’s services and expertise span the areas of sales, retail merchandising, retailer solutions, event marketing, in-store data collection, retail analytics and business technology solutions. MPG provides consulting services to leading suppliers of consumer products, offering a roster of seasoned industry professionals from retailing, marketing and sales.

"Crossmark has a solid reputation in the chain drug industry and offers significant resources and capabilities with best-in-class retail execution, as well as deep channel knowledge and innovative sales planning tools," stated Marc Greenberger, managing partner at MPG, based in Naperville, Ill. "Both companies pride themselves on the quality of their people and a strong service culture. It was very important that associates from both companies be pleased with the new venture, and this will continue to be a priority to ensure even greater growth opportunities for our associates, clients and retail customers."