Retail sales were down slightly in October on a month-to-month basis while increasing on an annual basis, reflecting Hurricane Sandy and uncertainty in Washington, according to the National Retail Federation.

Consumer products company Spectrum Brands Holdings has acquired a 56% interest in Shaser Bioscience, a privately held developer of energy-based, aesthetic dermatological technology for home use devices, for $50 million in cash.

Crossmark has launched a self-service data portal that it said would deliver business insights in real time to manufacturer and retail clients in the consumer goods industry.

Smartphones may be among retailers’ strongest allies this holiday season, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends released Monday.

CVS Caremark reported strong numbers on both the retail and PBM sides of its business — but the real bombshell for analysts on the call was the news that the company has raised its estimate on the number of Express Script patients that CVS feels it can keep from going back to Walgreens.

That's a big boast. But Rite Aid, too, likes its shot to keep the ESI customers who at one time frequented Walgreens' pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. And Walgreens, for its part, reminds analysts that there was a reason those ESI patients were filling their prescriptions in the first place. So the Chicago retailer is confident that they'll be able to entice many of their former patients to return to the pharmacy fold. But in the end, who's really going to capture that coveted ESI patient? Will they stay, or will they go?

Starting this month, more than 2,000 CVS/pharmacy stores will have special in-store kiosks that showcase the latest trends and innovations in nail care, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Americans woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Barack Obama had won a second term as president of the United States. DSN examines what it means for retail pharmacy.

One important finding from a recent online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September confirmed that more patients continue to embrace the community pharmacy as a preferred destination for flu vaccinations. Nearly 1-in-4 said they have received or plan to receive a flu shot this year in a retail pharmacy setting — up four percentage points from a year ago.

Industry leaders at an annual retail pharmacy conference in Canada got a look at a kiosk that allows patients to order prescription drugs through an Internet connection.

Products often fail before they ever find their way to market. Because our firm reviews more than 2,500 new health, beauty and wellness products, and sees approximately 13,000 packaging changes and line extensions annually, I’ve seen this firsthand.

Mars Chocolate has unveiled its Easter 2013 lineup.