MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Frank Scorpiniti has been chosen to succeed Andy Giancamilli as chief executive officer of Katz Group Canada Ltd. when the later retires early next year.

Frank Scorpiniti has been chosen to succeed Andy Giancamilli as chief executive officer of Katz Group Canada Ltd. when the later retires early next year.

A retail pharmacy veteran who worked at Longs Drug Stores and Duane Reade before joining Katz as chief operating officer last April, Scorpiniti will take the helm there on February 2. Giancamilli, who headed the company — which has some 1,800 drug stores across Canada — for the past eight years, will remain a consultant to the retailer until May 2012.

"Giancamilli has been integral in building Rexall as a nationally recognized brand and leader in pharmacy care. We appreciate the leadership and dedication he has shown," says Daryl Katz, the company’s founder and chairman. "We are pleased that Scorpiniti will fill the CEO role as Rexall continues to expand and fulfill its vision."

Giancamilli has used the Rexall brand as a unifying force to bring together Katz Group’s diverse holdings, which include Pharma Plus, Medicine Shoppe, Guardian, I.D.A. and Drug Trading stores. With Rexall as a common thread, the retailer has been able to leverage national marketing and advertising programs as well as benefit from a common store brand offering.

Under his direction Rexall emerged as a catalyst in the expansion of pharmacy practice to include intensive patient counseling, immunizations and, in some provinces, prescribing.
Scorpiniti, who was trained as a pharmacist, is sure to build on that legacy and perhaps apply some of the insights about the front end that he gained at Longs and Duane Reade to Katz.