Drug Store News articles from March 2003

Drug Store News archives from March 2003

Target grows by 32, eyes Kmart shopper. (News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... MINNEAPOLIS -- Target will open 32 new SuperTarget stores this year, the company announced Feb. 20. Adding to the 94 super-centers the chain currently operates that would bring the tally to more than 120 SuperTarget stores by the end of the...

Rx sales still solid, new IMS report says. (News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- U.S. prescription drug sales maintained a respectable, 11.8-percent growth rate in 2002 despite a dearth of new products, generic competition and a sluggish economy, IMS Health reported Feb. 21. Total prescription...

Meijer's Zigerelli takes on new post. (News).(Larry Zigerelli becomes senior vice president of advertising, corporate development and diversity programs)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Supermarket pharmacy chain Meijer has promoted Larry Zigerelli to senior vice president of advertising, corporate development and diversity programs, effective immediately. Prior to the announcement, Zigerelli served as...

EPC implementation gains acceptance across channels. .(Cover Story)
March 3, 2003... Imagine this. There are 36 12-piece packages of Gillette's Mach3 razor blade cartridges, each retailing for about $20, sitting on a retail shelf. Suddenly someone in the store sweeps all 36 packs--$720 of those inventory assets--off the...

Duane Reade lays plans for rebound, modifies outlook.
March 3, 2003... NEW YORK -- Having weathered weak holiday sales that lowered profits in the fourth quarter, metro New York drug chain Duane Reade expects to right itself in the coming year. With the succession of hurdles Duane Reade has had to clear in the...

Mass. chains pressured to swallow drug tax. (Medicaid Watch).
March 3, 2003... BOSTON -- Profitability has become an endangered species at the pharmacy counter in Massachusetts. Facing the specter of possible legal action and investigation by the state attorney general, pharmacy chains in the Bay State have agreed to...

Rite Aid dons holsters in Oregon Rx battle.
March 3, 2003... SALEM, Ore. -- The latest battle over pharmacy reimbursement rates on Medicaid prescriptions has been taken out West, as Oregon plays host to a budgetary crisis solved in small part by making the dispensing of Medicaid prescriptions an...

Store growth, private label Shoppers' goal. (News).(Shoppers Drug Mart)
March 3, 2003... TORONTO -- Shoppers Drug Mart promised to reinvigorate its store brand throughout 2003 and will embark on an aggressive store opening program for its 14,000-square-foot-plus prototype as it released positive sales results in its first year as a...

Old Man Winter puts bite on retailers. (News).
March 3, 2003... Jack Frost took a nip out of more than just the noses of Northeasterners during last month's Presidents Day weekend blizzard. The storm proved more than the roof of a Clifton, N.J.-based Rite Aid store could handle, as it collapsed under the...

Ex-NACDS chief Ziegler dies. (News).(Ron Ziegler, press secretary for President Nixon and president/CEO of National Association of Chain Drug Stores)(Obituary)
March 3, 2003... SAN DIEGO - It was the Watergate years that drew national attention to Ron Ziegler, who died Feb. 10 in the San Diego suburb of Coronado at the age of 63. But Ziegler, at 29 the youngest spokesman ever to serve a president, went on to a...

Despite difficult market outlook, Eckerd focuses on growth in '03. (News).
March 3, 2003... PLANO, Texas -- After posting substantial improvements in its fourth-quarter and full-year results, Eckerd chairman and chief executive officer Wayne Harris remains confident further gains will be achieved this year, despite high expectations...

Fred's logs solid year-end sales gains. (Regional Report).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Fred's last month reported a 22 percent increase in sales for its fiscal year ended Feb. 1, 2003. Total sales for the year increased 21 percent to $1.1 billion from $911.1 million in fiscal 2001. Comparable-store sales for the...

Medicap same-store sales hit record high. (Regional Report).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... DES MOINES, Iowa -- Medicap Pharmacies posted a 16.2 percent increase in same-store sales for calendar year 2002, the chain reported, reaching record sales of $366.3 million. The number of prescriptions dispensed by Medicap rose 5.5 percent,...

Elephant to host in-store classes. (Regional Report).(Elephant Pharmacy)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... BERKELEY, Calif. -- Elephant Pharmacy announced the official launch of its in-store education programs. The classes are taught by a diverse group of East Bay health practitioners who will present a variety of approaches to health and wellness,...

Bartell embarks on philanthropic efforts. (Regional Report).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... SEATTLE -- Bartell Drugs and KBSG radio last month teamed up to help collect canned food during their fourth annual Northwest Harvest canned food drive. Bartell Drugs and their customers gathered nearly 9,500 pounds of food for the drive....

Toy makers eye drug chains as hot venue for sales growth. (News).
March 3, 2003... NEW YORK -- In recent years, chain drug stores have been playing with toys increasingly, identifying the category as an attractive high-margin, front-end business. Which is why a host of drug store buyers added to an army of 20,000 others at...

IRI to retailers: expect more of the same. (News).(Information Resources Inc.'s Consumer Connection 2003 conference)
March 3, 2003... RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Retailers should focus on improving their business with new technology and not expect the economy to rebound this ear. That was part of the message analysts delivered at Information Resources Inc.'s Consumer Connection...

Stop & Shop tests Speedpass. (Supermarket Aisle).(radio-frequency technology involves Speedpass wand)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... QUINCY, Mass. -- In a first for the supermarket industry, Stop & Shop has begun testing Speedpass, a device that uses radio-frequency technology to allow customers to buy products without waiting on line. Rick Stockwood, a Stop & Shop...

Save-Mart to convert 19 stores. (Supermarket Aisle).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... MODESTO, Calif. -- Now that Save-Mart's purchase of 19 low-price Food 4 Less stores from Fleming Cos. has been approved by federal regulators, Save-Mart is beginning to convert all 19 stores to its low-price Food Maxx banner. The conversions...

Big Y to keep acquired pharmacies. (Supermarket Aisle).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Big Y, which has agreed to acquire five A&P food and drug stores based in northern New England, plans to keep all five of the pharmacies operational once the transaction is completed. "Apparently, the pharmacies did...

ShopRite program to fight hunger. (Supermarket Aisle).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... ELIZABETH, N.J. -- In a community service program designed to help combat hunger, ShopRite currently is selling Cards that Care, note cards featuring the winning artwork of eight fourth-grade students. ShopRite is donating a portion of the...

Wal-Mart touts record sales, profits. (News).
March 3, 2003... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- WalMart reported another year of record sales and profits for its recently ended fiscal year due largely to the ability of its domestic operations to gain market share in an environment of economic weakness. Total...

Longs' Burnside resigns as COO. (News).(Terry Burnside resigns from Longs Drug Stores)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Longs Drug Stores chief operating officer Terry Burnside has resigned, the drug chain announced Feb. 20. Warren Bryant, who became president and chief executive officer last October, will assume the duties of chief...

Albertson's acquires five Fleming Stores. (News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... BOISE, Idaho -- Albertson's Inc. strengthened its presence in two markets last month with the purchase of five stores from grocery distributor Fleming Cos. The nation's second-largest food retailer bought three Food 4 Less locations in Salt...

House revives Rx card concept. (Pharmacy Watch).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON - The battle over the White House's proposal for a PBM-driven Medicare prescription drug discount card isn't over, after all; it's only shifted from the courts over to Congress. Immediately after U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman...

Giant inks e-prescribing deal with DrFirst. (Pharmacy Watch).(Giant Food)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... LANDOVER, Md. -- Giant Food announced that its pharmacies are expanding e-prescribing services through a partnership with DrFirst, a provider of products and services to the healthcare community. Under the agreement, Giant and DrFirst...

Together Rx signs up 10 more chains. (Pharmacy Watch).(discount generic drug program)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... NEW YORK -- The Together Rx prescription savings program, which was founded by seven major drug companies, has signed up 10 more pharmacy chains. Together Rx enrollees can now save on their prescriptions for generic medicines at Rite Aid,...

Reimportation battle continues. (Pharmacy News).
March 3, 2003... CHICAGO - If it isn't bad enough that a number of Canadian health care and business organizations are shipping Canadian- approved medications to American consumers illegally in what has become a burgeoning business, now they're advertising. ...

Name change, new integration efforts in the offing for Canada's Katz Group. (Pharmacy News).(Katz Pharmacy Services changing name to Katz Group Canada Ltd.)
March 3, 2003... TORONTO - Another retail pharmacy giant has emerged in Canada, and its name doesn't start with an "S." Katz Pharmacy Services announced Feb. 9 its official change of name and company logo to Katz Group Canada Ltd. That's simple enough. But...

American Greetings promotes Weiss bros. (News).(Jeffrey Weiss to become president and chief operating officer; Zev Weiss will become CEO)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... CLEVELAND -- American Greetings, which has spent the past few years restructuring its business, has handed the reins over to a new generation of the Weiss family. Effective June 1, Zev Weiss, 36, will become chief executive officer, and...

Rite Aid has elected Colin Reed and John Danhaki to its board of directors. (People in the News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid has elected Colin Reed and John Danhaki to its board of directors. Reed is resident, chief executive officer and a director of Gaylord Entertainment, an entertainment corporation. Danhaki is a managing director of...

Winn-Dixie Stores. (People in the News).(promotes David Henry and Richard Judd)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie Stores, which operates about 700 pharmacies, has promoted David Henry, former vice president of marketing, to senior vice president of marketing, and Richard Judd, former vice president of warehousing and...

ShopKo Stores. (People in the News).(executive changes)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- ShopKo Stores recently announced a string of executive moves. The company has promoted Doug Wurl to senior vice p resident and general merchandise manager of hardlines and home for the ShopKo division. He joined ShopKo...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 3, 2003... The Opinion Column in the Feb. 17, 2003, issue of Drug Store News ("Recent news spells 'mile-high' hopes for industry") identifies Coca-Cola chairman and chief executive officer Douglas Daft as president and chief executive officer of Revlon....

Retailers and suppliers ask: 'Where's Wanda?'. (Opinion).
March 3, 2003... If you thought it was difficult to find Waldo among throngs of funny-looking characters, then it's likely to be even more challenging for any retailer to find Wanda. But unlike the Waldo cartoon character that had no influence on...

Ballplayer's death is strike three for ephedra. (Opinion).(Steve Bechler)(Column)
March 3, 2003... It's only 9:30 a.m., and already I have seen more than 20 different stories in today's newspapers alone about how Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Bechler probably killed himself from a dangerous combination: the to extra pounds he was carrying,...

'Meet the Market' meets all of your needs for 2003. (Guest Column).(National Association of Chain Drug Stores Marketplace Conference)(Column)
March 3, 2003... The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Marketplace Conference is a cornerstone among industry trade shows. Attending are the biggest, the best and the newest representatives of the drug store industry's future. And, for 2003, it's better...

Eckerd analyst meeting. (Making the Scene).
March 3, 2003... Caption: At the Eckerd analyst meeting at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Ha bar, Fla., are Mike Tray of Drug Store News and Eckerd's Curt Neal.

CVS/Samaritan marks 25 years. (Making the Scene).
March 3, 2003... Caption: Last month marked the 25th anniversary of the CVS/Samaritan Van program, which provides tree roadside assistance to thousands of stranded drivers each year in nine major markets.

Toys "R" Us Toy Fair party. (Making the Scene).
March 3, 2003... Caption: Toys "R" Us president and chief executive officer John Eyler pumps up the volume an Airwavez radio by T-ink at the retailer's annual Toy Fair party.

Agassi, Aramis team up. (Making the Scene).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Caption: President of Aramis and Designer Fragrances John Karp has signed tennis star Andre Agassi in a multiyear deal to become the spokesman far a new fragrance, slated for a global launch in September. Aramis and Designer Fragrances, a...

Johnson & Johnson acquired the biopharmaceutical company Scios in a cash-for-stock exchange worth a total of $2.4 billion. (Branded News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Johnson & Johnson acquired the biopharmaceutical company Scios in a cash-for-stock exchange worth a total of $2.4 billion, the company announced last month. The transaction is expected to dose in the second quarter. Scios markets Natrecor...

Another acquisition involves the Roche health care group and medical device supplier Disetronic. (Branded News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Another acquisition involves the Roche health care group and medical device supplier Disetronic, the world's second-largest maker of insulin pumps. Roche offered Disetronic shareholders two Roche non-voting equity securities and $489 for each...

Pfizer received Food and Drug Administration approval of its Zoloft for acute and long-term treatment of social anxiety disorder last month. (Branded News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Pfizer received Food and Drug Administration approval of its Zoloft for acute and long-term treatment of social anxiety disorder last month. Within a day of that announcement, Wyeth released that its Effexor likewise was approved for the...

Tokyo-based Eisai will increase its U.S. pharmaceutical sales force by 60 percent. (Branded News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Tokyo-based Eisai will increase its U.S. pharmaceutical sales force by 60 percent, the company announced in January, by adding 150 sales representatives this year. Over a two-year period, Eisai plans to double its sales force to more than 500...

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals. (Branded News).(debuts patented testosterone gel Testim)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Auxilium Pharmaceuticals last month introduced its patented testosterone gel Testim for use in treating men with testosterone production issues. About 5 million American men suffer from the condition, Auxilium reported, and currently only about...

Schering-Plough last month entered a licensing agreement with Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals. (Generic News).(regarding ribavirin)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Schering-Plough last month entered a licensing agreement with Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals that settles all patent litigation between the two companies regarding Rebetol (ribavirin) and its use in treating hepatitis C. Under terms of the...

Albertson's is taking big first step toward streamlined Rx dispensing. (Chain Pharmacy).
March 3, 2003... CHICAGO -- With little fanfare but plenty of resolve, Albertson's has taken its first sure steps toward a more automated and far more streamlined pharmacy workflow process. Beginning at roughly a dozen test sites here and in several other...

Rhode Island pharmacies join in bid for statewide e-prescribing. (Chain Pharmacy).
March 3, 2003... ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A campaign by SureScript Systems to become the platform for a nationwide shift to electronic prescribing and e-connectivity between physicians and pharmacists took a leap forward last month with the launch of a statewide...

N.Y. sues GSK, Pharmacia for bribery. (Chain Pharmacy).
March 3, 2003... NEW YORK -- The New York Attorney General's office three weeks a go charged two leading pharmaceutical manufacturers, GlaxoSmithKline and Pharmacia, with bribing doctors through kickbacks, paid directly out of government health plans like...

HHS issues final privacy rules. (Chain Pharmacy).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... WASHINGTON -- The Department of Health and Human Services issued final security standards for protecting individually identifiable health information earlier this month. HHS secretary Tommy Thompson announced the long-awaited final...

NABP takes VIPPS program to Canada. (Chain Pharmacy).(National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities to launch VIPPS program in Canada )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Spurred by widespread acceptance of the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program in the United States and based on the acceptance of the program domestically, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the...

Retailers 'get smart' with new pharmacy technology. (Pharmacy Automation).(Chain store pharmacy retailers expand into innovative directions with pharmacy technology)
March 3, 2003... Chain store pharmacy retailers, encouraged by the significant increases in productivity that pharmacy technology delivers, are expanding into a variety of innovative directions, including experimenting with technologies that allow pharmacists...

GNC Franchising. (Retailer News).(ranked by Entrepreneur magazine in 1/03 as world's leading franchiser of specialty vitamin and nutrition stores for 14th consecutive year)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Entrepreneur magazine in January ranked GNC Franchising the world's leading franchiser of specialty vitamin and nutrition stores for the 14th consecutive year as part of the magazine's annual Franchise 500 coverage. Overall, Entrepreneur...

Aetna last month announced a program to provide approximately 475,000 of its commercial members with information about over-the-counter. (Supplier News).(Aetna program funded by Wyeth, which launched its OTC Alavert, loratadine formulation in 12/02)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Aetna last month announced a program to provide approximately 475,000 of its commercial members with information about over-the-counter, non-sedating antihistamines, along with coupons to purchase Alavert. Wyeth launched its OTC loratadine...

Johnson & Johnson's Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals division in January. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Johnson & Johnson's Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals division in January kicked off a special promotion targeting 40,000 retail pharmacists to raise awareness for consumer options for treating heartburn. the program is anchored with a special...

Metrika announced in January that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Supplier News).(to make its A1cNow diabetes monitor available over-the-counter)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Metrika announced in January that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make its A1cNow diabetes monitor available over-the-counter. A1cNow is a home test that patients with diabetes can use to obtain immediate...

OTC Ioratadine drives up sales despite dismal cold/allergy season. (OTC/Natural Health).(sales of cough/cold remedies were up some 7%-plus in drug channel for 12 weeks ended 12/29/02)
March 3, 2003... For the third year in a row, illness rates for the common cold are expected to track relatively flat compared with the year-ago period. And there is no guarantee that this pattern is likely to reverse itself anytime soon. The first half of the...

Cough drop sales soothe stores. (What's Hot).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Drug store customers soothed their sore throats to the tune of $20.5 million in sales as the throat lozenge category grew 12 percent during the 12 weeks ended Dec. 28, according to data from ACNielsen. Pfizer's summertime launch of Halls...

French skin care brand RoC from Johnson & Johnson in March will launch RoC Age Diminishing Daily Moisturizer with Soy Complex. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... French skin care brand RoC from Johnson & Johnson in March will launch RoC Age Diminishing Daily Moisturizer with Soy Complex, which promises to even out the appearance of melanin for balanced skin tone, to diminish wrinkles and to improve skin...

E.T. Browne Drug Co. (Supplier News).(to launch 2 more additions to Palmer's Shea Butter Formula)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... After a year of line extensions, E.T. Browne Drug Co. will unveil two more additions to Palmer's Shea Butter Formula--Palmer's Shea Butter Formula Cream and Palmer's Shea Butter Formula Soap. Both are formulated, like the entire line, to combat...

Though frigid temperatures may have numbed thoughts of summer, one sunscreen manufacturer is gearing up to launch lotions featuring new technology. (Supplier News).(Banana Boat creates Banana Boat Suntanicals)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Though frigid temperatures may have numbed thoughts of summer, one sunscreen manufacturer is gearing up to launch lotions featuring new technology. Banana Boat has blended botanicals (aloe vera, chamomile and lavender) with protective sunscreen...

Rembrandt aims to make whitening as simple as reapplying lipstick with the launch of the Rembrandt Whitening Wand. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Rembrandt aims to make whitening as simple as reapplying lipstick with the launch of the Rembrandt Whitening Wand. The Rembrandt Whitening Wand is slim and portable enough to slip into a pocket. The whitening system contains Rembrandt's unique...

Procter & Gamble. (Executive News).(Procter & Gamble promotes 2 aned Maybelline promotes one)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A handful of top beauty executives climbed another rung on their respective global corporate ladders. Two members of the Procter & Gamble beauty care division were elevated to vice president. Virginia Coleman Drosos, former general manager...

Drug invests more in 'mass-tige,' anti-aging remains top skin seller. (Beauty Care).
March 3, 2003... For consumers north of the Mason-Dixon Line, the winter months have done a number on their skin. Despite being covered in bulky clothing from the neck down, women have not abandoned their skin care regimens. Their relentless focus on keeping...

Baby care goes high-end. (What's Hot).(high-end and mass brands launch their own infant lines )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Let's face it; babies are downright chic. Celebrities toting newborns these days--model Kate Moss and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sarah Jessica Parker, just to name a few--are demanding their little love bugs be adorned in the same brands...

Retailers scream for $150 million ice cream/frozen novelty business. (Consumables).(ice cream sales in drug stores totaled nearly $107 mil in 52 weeks ended January 26, 2003)
March 3, 2003... Ice cream is by no means a new business for drug stores. But as drug chains continue to explore the newest new frontier in convenience retailing, ice cream and frozen desserts are a key component of the consumables offering and an element of...

Tops Market stores. (Retailer News).(Buffalo, NY, and Rochester, NY, outlets test market Montana Mills Bread products)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Select Tops Market stores in Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., are testing a line of specialty breads and backed goods provided through a partnership with Montana Mills Bread Co. The breads and muffins will be mercandised with Java Joe's gourmet...

Coca-Cola announced that unit case volume in its North American operations grew 6 percent in 2002. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Coca-Cola announced that unit case volume in its North American operations grew 6 percent in 2002. Coke cited strategic acquisitions and licensing agreements involving Seagram's mixers, Evian and the Danone water brands. The company also noted...

Campbell Soup plans to expand its portfolio in July with more convenience-oriented offerings. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Campbell Soup plans to expand its portfolio in July with more convenience-oriented offerings. The Soup at Hand line it introduced last fall will feature three new flavors targeted at the 'tween market -- chicken and stars, Mexican fiesta and...

Nestle last month began rolling out of retailers a new Wonderball featuring characters from cable television's Cartoon Network. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Nestle last month began rolling out of retailers a new Wonderball featuring characters from cable television's Cartoon Network, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo and others. Each contains...

PepsiCo. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Al Bru, a 26-year PepsiCo veteran, has been promoted to chairman and chief executive officer of Frito-Lay. Bru had been president and chief executive officer. Former Frito-Lay chief marketing officer John Comp ton will become president of a...

Kellogg Co. (Supplier News).(Places David Mackay, president of Kellogg USA, in charge of day-to-day operations of snacks business )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Kellogg Co. has placed David Mackay, president of Kellogg USA, in charge of the day-to-day operations of its snacks business. Mackay will remain president of the Kellogg USA division, but will spend the next several months focused primarily...

Souping up the condiment aisle. (What's Hot).(Food vendors tailor standard products to meet preferences of more narrowly defined consumer groups)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Food vendors increasingly are tailoring standard products to meet the preferences of more narrowly defined consumer groups. French's recently launched Gourmayo, a flavored line of mayonnaise products in three varieties: chipotle chile,...

Drug stores shoot to recapture photo-finishing sales in digital age. (General Merchandise).
March 3, 2003... The shift to digital is accelerating and in 2003, digital cameras are expected to outsell traditional film units for the first time. According to the Photo Marketing Association, 12.8 million digital units will be sold this year compared to...

CVS stores. (Retailer News).(Will unveil new, exclusive line of plush toys as part of partnership with Hasbro)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... CVS stores in March will unveil a new, exclusive line of plush toys-the product of a partnership with the Rhode Island-based toy maker Hasbro. The Wishlings collection includes four characters, each conceived by a child who is affiliated with...

Target stores feature an exclusive music promotion in the form of a CD. (Retailer News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Target stores feature an exclusive music promotion in the form of a CD from the rock band Bon Jovi specifically for Target. The CD features eight tracks previously unreleased in the United States, including two live acoustic versions of...

Wal-Mart. (Retailer News).(Gives away collectible booklet, "Black History Month 2003: Inspirational Stories and Treasured Recipes" and a commemorative poster, "Celebrating African-American Heritage")(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... In a promotion designed to spark sales in February, Black history month, Wal-Mart last month gave away a collectible booklet, "Black History Month 2003: Inspirational Stories and Treasured Recipes" and a commemorative poster, "Celebrating...

Igo Home Products. (Supplier News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Igo Home Products is broadening its line of battery-operated power tools to include kitchen gadgets. The first two items in the new collection, a battery-operated wine bottle opener and a one-handed can opener, will be available in retail...

McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing. (Supplier News).(Is launching new learning series guide)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing is launching a new learning series guide for children in grades one through four. The first book in the series, "Don't Slurp Your Soup!" began shipping this month. It's a 32-page hardcover that deals with...

Diamond Select Toys. (Supplier News).(Ships Marvel Mini-Mates, new collection of licensed mini action figures )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Diamond Select Toys is shipping Marvel Mini-Mates, a new collection of licensed mini action figures based on Marvel Comics' Super Heroes. The collection, created in collaboration with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Art Asylum, includes such...

The 'generic' gift card. (What's Hot).(Retailers offer gift cards to customes)
March 3, 2003... Looking for gift items with high appeal, high turns and sell-throughs, a growing number of retailers are offering their customers gift cards. Gift cards can make life so easy for those customers who just don't know what to get a loved one...

Marketplace.(National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Marketplace Conference trade show )
March 3, 2003... WHAT is Marketplace? Your Best Trade Show Investment. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Marketplace Conference is the trade show of all trade shows -- literally the largest and most powerful convergence of drug, food,...

Walgreens expands in Raleigh-Durham. (News).(Brief Article)
March 23, 2003... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. revealed plans March 13 to open several more stores in North Carolina s fast-growing Raleigh-Durham area, following the opening of the chain's first store in Raleigh last month. "We're looking at several...