Walgreens

  1. Channel: Drug

WIC Authorization at CVS Isn’t Adoption: Why CVS Health, Walgreens, and Drug Chains Still Face a Long Road to Relevance

  The headline sounds like progress—but let’s not confuse authorization with adoption. What CVS Health has accomplished in Rhode Island is operational alignment, not behavioral change. And in the WIC ecosystem, behavior—where and how benefits are actually redeemed—is everything. Meanwhile, competitors like Walgreens and other drug store operators face the same structural friction: WIC shoppers […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Drug Channels News Roundup, March 2026: Cigna’s 340B Workaround, Merck’s ARPA Surprise, Walgreens’ Automation Bet, Why Rebates Hurt Patients, and a DCI Team Photo

Spring is here in always-sunny Philadelphia. The vernal equinox has brought us an unexpected bounty of noteworthy news: Cigna’s clever vertical integration move Merck cuts drug prices—and Medicaid and 340B pay more Walgreens’ big pharmacy technology play How plans profit—and patients lose—from highly rebated drugs Plus: A bonus photo from the Drug Channels Leadership Forum […]
2 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

The American Restaurant “Melting Pot”: Why the Industry Must Lead on DEI to Reflect the Nation It Serves

  The United States has long described itself as a “Melting Pot”—a nation strengthened by immigrants, cultures, traditions, and ideas blended together to create something uniquely American. Nowhere is that concept more visible, or more economically important, than in the restaurant industry. From quick-service counters to fine-dining dining rooms, restaurants employ one of the most […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Restaurant Customer Disequilibrium: Why 2026 Is the Year Complacency Finally Breaks the Chains

  The restaurant industry didn’t just take its eye off the ball—it left the ball in the parking lot, went inside, and ordered the same combo meal it’s been eating for 25 years. Operators mastered brand protectionism, but somewhere along the way, many forgot the equally important skill of brand evolution. And now? The bill […]
4 min read
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  1. Retail Ecosystem

Commerce Riff with Sri & PVSB – February 24, 2026

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce.  This week’s topics: CAGNY Recap Bath & Body Works Walmart Connect Q4 results Walgreens Layoffs CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/ DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Department: Nonfood

The Share-of-Stomach Reset: Who Wins When Food Consumers Rewrite the Rules?

  The North American food marketplace is in the middle of a structural demand reallocation. Call it consumer discontinuity, call it channel fragmentation, call it the democratization of meal access. Whatever the label, the outcome is the same: legacy assumptions about where, when, and why people buy meals no longer hold. Operators who continue to […]
4 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Medicare Part D Pharmacy Networks in 2026: Supermarkets Dominate as Drugstores Stall and Independents Walk Away

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released its initial 2026 data on enrollment in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs). DCI’s exclusive analysis shows that 83% of seniors remain enrolled in PDPs with preferred pharmacy networks—essentially unchanged from 82% in 2025, but sharply lower than the 99% peak in 2023. […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Uber Eats Launches Beta Version of AI-Powered Shopping Helper at Albertsons, Kroger and CVS

Uber Eats has introduced Cart Assistant, an AI-powered feature designed to help consumers build grocery baskets in seconds using simple text or image prompts. At launch, an initial beta version of Cart Assistant is available at dozens of grocery retailers across the country, including Albertsons, Aldi, CVS, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Walgreens and Wegmans, with more […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Mark Zuckerberg’s Enduring Lesson for Foodservice Executives in 2026

  Why Consumer Evolution Is Outpacing Restaurants, C-Stores, and Grocery Retailers When Time profiled Mark Zuckerberg in December 2010, Lev Grossman highlighted a deceptively simple but powerful leadership message. Zuckerberg left the old Sun Microsystems sign standing outside Facebook’s headquarters—turned around, but still visible—as a constant reminder of what happens when once-dominant companies lose relevance. […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Drug

How to Get Your Product Placed in Walgreens or CVS: A Step-by-Step Guide for Consumer Brands

Winning shelf space at major drugstore retailers like Walgreens and CVS can transform your brand’s visibility, credibility, and revenue. These retail giants serve millions of consumers every week and offer unmatched exposure for beauty, wellness, personal care, OTC, and lifestyle products. But getting your product placed in Walgreens or CVS requires preparation, strategic positioning, and […]
4 min read
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  1. Channel: Drug

Follow the 340B Dollar: Senator Cassidy Exposes How CVS Health and Walgreens Profit as 340B Contract Pharmacies (rerun)

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I prepare for Friday’s live video webinar: Drug Channels Outlook 2026 . Today’s rerun provides background for the webinar, when I will discuss how the consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act for the 340B program and contract pharmacies. Click here to see the original post from May […]
2 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Commerce Riff with Sri & PVSB – December 9, 2025

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce.  This week’s topics: Amazon tests ultra fast delivery The Kroger Co. reported strong sales for its third quarter Walgreens Expands Retail Media with AI-Powered Order Confirmation Ads Dollar General and Dollar Tree both reported November quarter results CPG […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Walgreens Advertising Group expands AI powered retail media ecosystem with Rokt partnership

Walgreens Advertising Group, the retail media arm of Walgreens, has announced an expansion of its retail media ecosystem with Rokt. The agreement enables non-endemic brands to reach millions of Walgreens consumers on Walgreens.com’s order confirmation page. “We are committed to connecting brands with one of the most loyal and engaged consumer bases in the country,” […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Eating for Health: A Historical Look at How America Shops, Eats, and Redefines Food Convenience

  For more than a century, “eating for health” has evolved from a luxury of the elite to a mainstream expectation shaped by consumer demand, technology, and retail innovation. From the first self-service supermarkets in the 1930s to today’s frictionless, omnichannel food ecosystem, one constant has persisted: shoppers want food that is better for them, […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

The Quiet Shift Reshaping the Restaurant Industry

  The dining world is undergoing a silent but powerful transformation. Fresh-prepared, grab-and-go, mix-and-match, and ready-to-heat food from grocery, convenience, and drug-store channels is eroding the once-secure restaurant mealtime monopoly according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA Based Foodservice Solutions®. Welcome to the Grocerant Era, where non-traditional food retailers—from Buc-ee’s to Whole Foods, […]
5 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Informa Connect’s Trade and Channel Strategies

Informa Connect’s Trade and Channel Strategies December 9-11, 2025 | W Philadelphia Exclusive Offer—Use promo 25DC10 to save 10%* The stakes have never been higher. With seismic shifts in distribution models, health policy and market access strategies, falling behind on critical trends could mean losing your competitive edge. If you’re a trade, channel, market access […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Drug

CVS to Open Nearly 100 Community-Focused Stores this Year, Including in Former Rite Aid Locations

A recent CVS Health survey of 2,200 consumers and more than 1,060 pharmacists and pharmacy techs reveals how highly customers value in-person pharmacy care: 80% of patients prefer it, and 48% would switch pharmacies if they were limited to digital-only options. To meet this need for face-to-face care, CVS Health plans to open nearly 100 […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Why Grocerants Are Winning: How Retail Food is Redefining the Battle for America’s Stomach

  The Grocerant Revolution is here. See how Walmart, Costco, and Wawa are stealing food dollars from restaurants with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh foods — and why traditional brands like Campbell’s and Heinz are struggling to keep up according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The line between restaurants and […]
4 min read
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  1. Department: HBC

The 340B Contract Pharmacy Market in 2025: Big Chains and PBMs Tighten Their Grip (rerun)

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I put the finishing touches on DCI’s 2025-26 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors. Click here to see the original post from June 2025. The 340B Drug Pricing Program has emerged as a growing source of profits for pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Drug […]
2 min read
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  1. Corporate Strategy

Michaels Creates Shop-in-Shops Spotlighting Sewing, Knitting and Partying

With rival retailers Joann and Party City no more, Michaels has added shop-in-shops chainwide that spotlight their product categories. Michaels purchased the intellectual property and private label brands of Joann in June 2025 following its bankruptcy; now, The Knit & Sew Shop, featuring both Joann and Michaels’ logos, offers a curated assortment of threads, sewing […]
2 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Mix & Match Meal Components: What’s Really for Dinner?

  The way Americans plan and consume dinner has undergone a seismic shift. Meal planning no longer begins in the kitchen, but often in the aisle of a grocery store, the drive-thru lane, or on a smartphone app. According to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards, 83.2% of U.S. consumers do not know what they’ll have for […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Drug

Walgreens, Now Privately Held, Names New CEO

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), now privately owned following its March 2025 $10 billion acquisition by Sycamore Partners, has named Mike Motz as its new CEO, effective immediately. Sycamore is acquiring the business in partnership with Stefano Pessina and his family, who have reinvested 100% of their interests in Walgreens, showing their confidence in the pharmacy […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Acquisitions, Divestitures & Mergers

5 of retail’s most impactful deals in 2025

​[[“value”:” This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. In only the first six months of 2025, Walgreens announced its acquisition by Sycamore Partners, Dollar Tree divulged its sale of Family Dollar and Hudson’s Bay agreed to sell its IP to Canadian Tire Corp.  Retail Dive since 2021 has tracked major […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

The Price-Value-Service Equilibrium: The Strategic Framework Driving Foodservice Growth

  The Price-Value-Service Equilibrium is a proprietary, data-informed framework pioneered by Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, of Tacoma, WA-based Foodservice Solutions®. Designed to align with fast-changing consumer expectations, this dynamic formula equips foodservice brands with the tools to optimize pricing, product quality, convenience, and experiential engagement—all critical levers in today’s hyper-competitive food retail landscape. Johnson’s […]
4 min read
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Editor’s Choice

  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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