In this Issue

We’re making big changes around here in 2011 — and we’re doing it because you told us to.


Whenever we ask one of our readers what they want from Drug Store News, inevitably, the answer always is: “Tell me something I don’t already know about.”


That’s the problem with most trade magazines today — by the time you get the issue, it’s all old news; often more than a month old by the time it lands on your desk. 


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Building up its automated packaging capabilities for high-output pharmacies, Tension International Automation Solutions has acquired the exclusive rights to Maverick Enterprise’s automation technology.


The agreement includes Maverick’s UPM Tote and BottlePacker systems, along with the company’s Single BottlePacker and ErgoPack packaging technologies. TIAS also will take over service and support for Maverick’s existing automation systems.


NEW YORK — Following 10 years of gene research that is internationally patented, L’Oréal Paris is looking to crack the genetic code to younger-acting skin with its new Youth Code Skincare Collection.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart stores have regained a familiar feeling this holiday season, and if senior executives are right, the increased promotional intensity will halt six consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales and put the company on the right track for 2011.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam’s Club promises to be an even more formidable competitor in the health-and-wellness space in the years ahead, judging from the strategic priorities now in place as part of a broad-based strategy known as Project Portfolio.


Drug Store News recently sat down with Scott Verner, president of Nipro Diagnostics, to discuss some of the synergies created by the acquisition of Home Diagnostics by Japan’s Nipro in March. 


Drug Store News: How is the new company better positioned in the U.S. market? What are the synergies?



The phrase coined by Sam Walton — “Stack ’em high and let ’em fly!” — is reverberating throughout Walmart again.


The retailer’s back-to-basics strategy is good news for OTC suppliers, because going back to basics at Walmart also means going back to a broader product selection. Between the resumption of Action Alley and a recommitment to assortment, Walmart already has grown its carrying inventory by 4%, and the company plans to grow its inventory at a rate of half the 
expected sales lift.


AUSTIN, Texas — An overwhelming majority of respondents to a recent poll want to choose which companies and government agencies can view and use their health information.