The just concluded holiday selling season was a good one for most retailers. Ample anecdotal evidence of strong consumer demand was confirmed shortly after Christmas in a report issued by Mastercard. Based on tracking of retail activity within the credit card company’s network, supplemented with survey-based projections for such forms of payment as cash and
The retail industry is in the midst of a golden age of experimentation and innovation. Triggered by intensified competition, changing consumer dynamics, and the revolutionary impact of digital technology and e-commerce, merchants have had no choice but to rethink the way they do business or risk obsolescence, a process that took Sears Holdings down a
In an industry where mergers and acquisitions frequently fail to live up to their promise, it is refreshing to see instances where things go according to plan. Almost two and a half years after Royal Ahold and the Delhaize Group came together, the combined company has all but completed the assimilation process, forged a common
CVS Health is clear that its primary mission is health care, an orientation that will only become more pronounced when its $77 billion acquisition of Aetna is finalized in the coming weeks. As the company continues to ramp up its already formidable array of capabilities in the field, there is a danger that some observers
When J.D. Power released the results of its annual “U.S. Pharmacy Study” back in August, Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranked highest among drug chains in customer satisfaction with a score of 903, well above the 846 average in a segment whose stock-in-trade is taking care of the patient. It was the seventh time in the last
Amid all the turmoil in retailing, health care and government, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores continues to distinguish itself through steadfast advocacy of community pharmacy. By exercising patience and persistence, while at the same time possessing the readiness to seize opportunities whenever and wherever they arise, NACDS delivers meaningful results for its member
The eleventh-hour collapse of the merger between Albertsons Cos. and Rite Aid Corp. in the face of opposition from the latter’s shareholders raises a host of questions for the two companies and the people who run them. The plug was pulled earlier this month, less than a day before Rite Aid stockholders were to have
Seven years ago, as the newly appointed chief executive officer of Royal Ahold, Dick Boer was focused on implementation of Reshaping Retail, a strategy designed to enable the company to better meet consumers’ changing needs with supermarkets and small-format and specialty stores, as well as an emerging array of omnichannel capabilities. Reshaping Retail proved an
A little over a year ago the supermarket sector was roiled by speculation about the impact that the arrival of Lidl would have on established players in the U.S. market. Based in Neckarsulm, Germany, the hard discount grocer has proven a disruptive force and fierce competitor with more than 10,000 stores in the 28 European
Anyone who questions whether the primary battleground for the world’s top retailers has shifted from brick-and-mortar stores to the omnichannel realm would do well to consider the series of significant developments that has unfolded in recent weeks. The lead story in the last edition of Mass Market Retailers was about Walmart’s $16 billion investment for
Amazon.com late last month reported extraordinarily robust financial results for the quarter ended March 31. Sales at the e-commerce and technology company jumped 43% to $51 billion, while net earnings more than doubled to $1.6 billion. With ad revenue and Amazon Web Services showing notable strength, the company generated gains across the board. Of particular
Walgreens Boots Alliance, which bills itself as the first global pharmacy-led health and well-being enterprise, is intent on finding strength in the diversity inherent in its scope. Building on a foundation laid in 2007 when the company became a federal contractor in the United States, WBA is working hard to develop a workforce, supplier base