Kroger and Walgreens have announced a new pilot program that brings together the convenience of shopping on the supermarket’s website with customer pickup at 13 local Walgreens. Items from Kroger’s private label lines will also be stocked in Walgreens as part of the test. How do you expect the Kroger/Walgreens pilot program to work out?

While CVS has long been in competition mainly with Walgreens and Rite Aid, the retail pharmacy chain’s revamp of its beauty department could signal that CVS has another type of competitor in mind. Will CVS’s BeautyIRL prove successful in helping the chain attract younger consumers? 

Healthcare in the U.S. is changing, and retailers are offering a lot of services that once required a visit to a doctor’s office. Publix has been exploring a new model that is showing signs of success. Do you foresee more upside or downside to customers receiving medical advice via teleconference in grocery stores and other retail stores?

A survey from financial services firm Synchrony indicates that, after years of lukewarm reception from customers, retailer apps may finally be having their day. To what do you attribute the apparent increase in customers downloading and using retailer apps?

A comparison of private label over-the-counter remedies sold by CVS and Walgreens with those from Amazon.com finds that the brick and mortar pharmacy giants are charging substantially more than the e-tailer on like items. Do you think offering lower prices on over-the-counter medicines will set Amazon up for its push into the prescription drug market?

CVS Pharmacy announced yesterday that it is now offering same- and next-day deliveries of prescription drugs nationwide. What will CVS same- and next-day delivery mean for competitive balance within the retail pharmacy business?

At 17 stores in the Gainesville, FL area, Walgreens is lowering prices across the board, cutting SKUs and introducing a membership program as part of a pilot program. Do Walgreens and its drugstore rivals need to become more price competitive?

The last time Walgreens revamped its look and feel, the chain was opening flagships and implementing new store features that added elements of grocery. Now Walgreens is planning an overhauled store format built around healthcare services and partnerships. Is Walgreens in need of a store redesign?

Two of the biggest names in pharmacy are partnering with an insurance company and a ride sharing startup, not to bring medicine to people who need it, but to bring people to their medicine. As more retailers move into healthcare, does it make sense for them to leverage companies like Lyft to provide these types of services?

In 2017, a growing number of Western retailers decided to go where they can grow. Toys “R” Us, Starbucks and now Walgreens are among retailers expanding their brick-and-mortar and e-commerce presence in China’s booming retail market. What’s the primary hurdle holding U.S. retailers back from expanding into Asia (through physical stores and/or e-commerce)?

Walgreens has managed to leverage its mobile app to encourage usage from a generation that is elusive for many retailers: the 55-and-up crowd. What do you think are the main challenges for older consumers who use retailer apps?

Walgreens Boots Alliance’s planned acquisition of Rite Aid was called off yesterday. In the end, the parties concluded the Federal Trade Commission was not going to approve the purchase and opted to work out a smaller deal. What will the new deal between Walgreens and Rite Aid mean for their respective businesses?

Three years after removing tobacco from its stores, CVS continues to make changes intended to reinforce its strategic focus on health. Is CVS on the right track with its continued emphasis on health merchandising and marketing?

CNBC reported yesterday that Amazon.com is hiring an executive to lead its entry into the pharmacy business. Two unnamed sources familiar with Amazon’s plans told CNBC of the planned hire as well as annual meetings the e-tail giant has held in recent years to explore a potential entry into retail prescription medicine sales. What do you think an Amazon.com entry into the retail pharmacy category would look like?

Recent reports suggest that the Federal Trade Commission has yet to approve the merger between Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid over concerns that Fred’s Inc., the regional discount chain that has agreed to buy the locations, may not be up to it. Will Fred’s acquisition of up to 1,200 Rite Aid stores likely be a success or failure if approved by the FTC?

Walgreens and Fedex have announced a “long-term” agreement to have the drugstore chain’s locations serve as package drop-off and pickup destinations for FedEx. Do you expect the Walgreens/FedEx drop-off and pickup program to be a success?

In a surprise, Fred’s Inc., the Tennessee-based operator of general merchandise stores and pharmacies, stepped in to acquire 865 Rite Aid stores. Does Fred’s stand a better chance than Rite Aid to remain competitive against Walgreen’s and CVS on a national scale?

In an effort to put more focus on its own e-commerce web site, Walgreens recently announced it will pull the plug on Drugstore.com and Beauty.com. What do you think drove the closure of Drugstore.com and Beauty.com?

While cigarette sales may seem at odds with Walgreens’ “Happy & Healthy” messaging, the apparent discrepancy has not been enough to get the chain to follow the lead set by CVS. Do you see Walgreens’ cigarettes sales as inconsistent with its branding message? Does Walgreens’ duty to generate returns for its shareholders mean it has to continue selling tobacco products?

This week’s competition goes to the dogs with two distinctly different spots from Petco and Walgreens. Which chain will join our previous week’s winners in the finals?

Walgreens Boots Alliance has reached a deal valued at $9.4 billion to acquire Rite Aid, bringing together two of the three largest drugstore chains in the U.S. What do you see as the pros and cons of a Walgreens acquisition of Rite Aid? How will the merger of the two chains affect the retail pharmacy business in the U.S.?

Red Nose Day, a charity promotion launched in the U.K. in 1988, will for this first time this year also be happening in the U.S. as the result of a partnership between the U.K.-based charity Comic Relief, M&Ms, NBC, and Walgreens, the brick-and-mortar face of Red Nose Day. What makes the difference between cause marketing events that work and those that do not?

Walgreens has officially dropped the requirement that its workers wish shoppers to “be well” after they check out. The change also applies to Duane Reade stores. Are mandated scripts a viable way to encourage associates to be personable? Or do suggested or required phrases make associates sound too robotic?

Walgreens, once known for growing the organic way, may be looking to add stores in the U.S. through acquisition. The speculation is that Rite Aid, the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S., may be the top target. Do you think Walgreens should pursue a deal to acquire Rite Aid?

Last week, the New York Attorney General’s Office sent letters to GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreens telling them to immediately stop the sale of popular private label herbal supplements after test results verified that little DNA from the plants listed on labels were actually in the products. How will the findings affect the sale of store brand supplements in the chains named in the investigation?

Straightforward loyalty programs can no longer be viewed as the single most powerful tool for engagement. This is where multi-motivators come in. The trick is balancing the right number of programs and maintaining the intelligence to run them all effectively and profitably. Should loyalty be looked at more as “an ecosystem, not just a program”?

After eight weeks of one-on-one competition, the time has come for the RetailWire community to vote for the one commercial that stood above the rest for 2014 holiday selling season. Which is the best? You decide.

This week’s matchup includes “There’s No Present Like The Time” from Nordstrom, featuring a selection of the chain’s watches tied to Christmastime activities, and “Cookies For Santa” from Walgreens, a reminder that the drugstore chain is open for last minute Christmas needs. Which is better? You decide.

As an occasional commenter to RetailWire likes to point out, “Retailing isn’t for sissies.” That sentiment is certainly appropriate for those leading retail organizations where CEO exits are on the rise despite an improving economy. Is it tougher being a CEO of large retailer today than it was 10 or 20 years ago? What traits are required to be a successful retail CEO today?

Back in August when it was announced that Wade Miquelon was leaving Walgreens to pursue opportunities outside the company, the chain and its former CFO were effusive in their praise for one another, despite the separation. That kumbaya moment has apparently deteriorated. Will Wade Miquelon’s suit against Walgreens prove a distraction for the company’s management?

A month sooner than planned, CVS last Wednesday pulled all remaining tobacco products from its pharmacies nationwide. Despite increasing pleas from legislators and health advocates, its competitors are showing no signs of joining them. How much do CVS’s competitors gain or lose in the short and long term from continuing to sell tobacco products?

Duane Reade does not mean Walgreens to New Yorkers. That’s the reason Walgreens chose to leave the Duane Reade banner on top of the 257 drugstores it acquired from Oak Hill Partners in 2010. But that was then and now Walgreens is employing a co-banner on all new and remodeled Reade locations. Should Walgreens eventually remove the Duane Reade banner altogether?

Being car-less on the outskirts of Logan Square, Chicago, RetailWire Associate Editor Matthew Stern shops at Walgreens a lot. Recently he found two new grocery coolers with various unexpected items had been set up in the store. So he tried the sushi. Does the expansion of Walgreens’ fresh food offerings have the potential to redefine its role in urban markets and elsewhere?

With six in-store care clinics operating in South Carolina and Texas, and six more planned to open by year’s end, Walmart has a long way to go before it catches up with CVS, Walgreens or even Rite Aid. But while the odds might intimidate others, Walmart is able to do the math. Do in-store clinics represent a significant business opportunity for Walmart?

Walgreens announced today that it has exercised its option to buy the remaining 55 percent of Alliance Boots that it did not already control and the combined company will base its headquarters somewhere in the Chicago area. The parties expect the deal to close in the first quarter of 2015. What are your expectations for Walgreens Boots Alliance going forward?

Walgreens has partnered with its loyalty-app partner, Aisle411, to test Google’s virtual indoor 3-D mapping technology, Project Tango. The combined technologies enable shoppers to search and navigate products in store aisles while receiving promotions and gaining loyalty points. What do you think of the potential marriage of augmented-reality, in-store apps and loyalty marketing?

A group of shareholders who own close to five percent of Walgreens’ stock want the company to use its takeover of Alliance Boots, headquartered in Switzerland, as the rationale to move its headquarters from the U.S. to Europe for tax reasons, reports the Financial Times. Should Walgreens move its corporate headquarters out of the U.S.?

Big Data and little data are supposed to eventually tell us what each shopper wants, when and where. For now, however, we haven’t gotten to that point. Can retailers “break the supply chain rules” during the holidays to make sure more items are in stock?

As Al McClain listened to Greg Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens talk about Walgreens’ countless initiatives last week at Shop.org, he found himself thinking back to a book written by BrainTrust panelist Ryan Mathews, called “The Myth of Excellence.” Do you think Walgreens is trying to do too much?

In April, Walgreens’ 75 million-member Balance Rewards program added “get fit” incentives. Called the “Steps with Balance Rewards” program, it grants points to members for logging individual activities, which they can then redeem at any of its roughly 8,000 stores or online. What do you think are the pros and cons of offering such point drivers?

Consolidation is alive and well north of the U.S. border. Close on the heels of Sobeys’ recent deal to acquire Safeway’s Canadian business comes the most recent blockbuster, Loblaw agreeing to acquire Shoppers Drug Mart. Does this suggest that we will see an increase in M&A activity in North America over the near term?

The negative reaction in-store clinics received from doctors when the concept first rolled out may be changing as the number of in-store clinics appears set to double by 2015. Do you see clinics taking off as predicted with the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act?

A new report from Change to Win, a union-backed adversary of Walgreens, claims out-of-stocks are out of control at the chain’s stores. Do you think Walgreens has out-of-stock issues? What do you think are the most likely reasons behind its inventory issues (if they exist) and what will it take to correct the problem?

While not aiming to replace a patient’s primary care physician, Walgreens will become the first retail chain to offer the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. Do you think in-store clinics are taking the right path by getting involved in diagnosing and treating chronic illnesses?

Utilizing solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal technology, Walgreens plans to build what it believes will be the nation’s first net zero energy retail store. How much of a competitive advantage are retailers gaining with energy-efficiency initiatives?

Like competitors CVS and Walgreens, Rite Aid sees an opportunity in providing basic medical care in stores to its customers. But unlike its two larger rivals, Rite Aid has chosen to go the virtual route with online clinics. Do you think large numbers of consumers will feel comfortable speaking with health professionals online instead of in-person?

Representing a doubling of its annual spending on employee training and development, Walgreens last week cut the ribbon on Walgreens University, a facility dedicated to providing classroom and online programming for employees. Will Walgreens University provide the chain with an advantage over its competitors?

An aging population and up to 30 million newly insured people without regular doctors are just two of the reasons that many see in-store clinics as a means for retailers to capture share of the growing healthcare market. Do you expect to see a rapid increase in the number of stores with in-store clinics in the years to come?

While president of Walgreens’ Duane Reade division, Joe Magnacca helped develop a flagship concept he called “the most exciting drugstore in the world.” Now, many are wondering if Mr. Magnacca will be able to bring his brand of magic to RadioShack as the chain’s new CEO. What will it take for Joe Magnacca to get RadioShack turned around?

With cases in which pharmacists have cited religion as the reason for refusing to dispense prescriptions, Walgreens has announced that it will not allow the personal religious beliefs of individual pharmacists to keep customers from getting their prescriptions. Do you see the issues that arise when pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions as a hiring or training matter?