WALMART

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — CVS Caremark made headlines when it announced late in the day on Dec. 3 that former Walmart executive Hank Mullany had been named president of CVS/pharmacy. However, the wires were soon abuzz with news that Walmart had filed a lawsuit against CVS to block the hiring of Mullany.

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GURNEE, Ill. — EcoTools once again is joining forces with actress Alicia Silverstone to introduce for the spring the revamped eco-conscious cosmetic bag and brush collection set dubbed EcoTools by Alicia Silverstone.

The collection, which will launch April 2011, will feature three new additions and three revised sets. They will be available at Walmart, Target and Walgreens.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart’s Neighborhood Market concept finally is getting its due more than 12 years after the first unit opened in late 1998. Next year, the company expected to open between 30 and 40 small stores, the majority of which will be Neighborhood Market units, in addition to a handful of pilot stores measuring less than 30,000 sq. ft. that the company views as a potential growth vehicle for either urban or rural markets.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart clearly is not unique in the fact that some of its stores offer access to an in-store health clinic, but what is unique is that several years ago, the retail giant decided to scrap its retail clinic model of partnering with a handful of independent operators in favor of a more regionalized, healthcare system-driven model.


MINNETONKA, Minn. — Could the economy and the bare-knuckles competition that now defines pharmacy retailing lower the price bar even further for widely used generic drugs? It’s already happening.


BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As Walmart’s U.S. stores division looks to execute a broad slate of initiatives in the coming year to recharge domestic growth, it does so under the leadership of a new chief executive and a restructured merchandising organization.



BENTONVILLE, Ark. — It’s the kind of low-price power play that gives smaller-scale independent pharmacy owners — and chain drug store operators too, for that matter — the willies. In what promises to be another potent and potentially market-altering exercise in massive scale and competitive clout, Walmart has linked up with insurance heavyweight Humana to launch what it says will be the lowest-cost prescription drug plan for seniors who rely on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.