Health Care Industry
Industry: Email Alert RSS FeedChain pharmacy sales boom as script count soars
Drug Store News, August 30, 1999 by James Frederick
Retail prescription sales by channel
(in billions of dollars)
Drug chains Mass merch. Food/drug combos
1998 $41.5 $10.4 $11.4
1997 $35.0 $8.9 $9.8
1996 $30.2 $8.1 $8.3
1995 $26.5 $7.2 $7.0
1994 $22.6 $6.3 $5.9
Source: NACDS, based on manufacturer sales data from IMS Health
Total dispensed prescriptions by channel
(in millions of prescriptions)
Drug and mass chains Food/drug combos
1999 (est) 1,468 348.6
1998 1,359.4 305.8
1997 1,253.4 268.7
1996 1,188.7 242.2
1995 1,121.7 221.4
1994 1,011.5 201.2
Source: IMS Health
Top 100 chains in pharmacy sales volume
Rank Company/headquarters 1998 Rx Sales
(in millions)
1 CVS Corp., Woonsocket, R.I. $8,536
2 Walgreen Company, Deerfield Ill. 7,650
3 Eckerd Corporation, Largo, Fla. 6,665
4 Rite Aid Corporation, Camp Hill, Pa. 6,365
5 Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, Ark. 5,500
6 American Drug Stores, Salt Lake City 2,900
7 The Kroger Company, Cincinnati 1,800
8 Kmart Corp., Troy, Mich. 1,700
9 Medicine Shoppe International Inc., St. Louis 1,294
10 Longs Drug Stores Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif. 1,210
11 Safeway Inc., Pleasanton, Calif. 1,200
12 Albertson's Inc., Boise, Idaho 625
13 Giant Food Inc., Landover, Md. 572
14 Fred Meyer Inc., Portland, Ore. 570
15 Brooks Pharmacy, Warwick, R.I. 428
16 H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Antonio 413
17 Drug Emporium Inc., Powell, Ohio 385
18 ShopKo Stores Inc., Green Bay, Wis. 348
19 Genovese Drug Stores Inc., Melville, N.Y. 340
20 Publix Super Markets Inc., Lakeland, Fla. 320
21 Kerr Drug Inc., Durham, N.C. 290
22 Phar-Mor Inc., Youngstown, Ohio 281
23 Meijer inc., Grand Rapids, Mich. 276
24 Target, Minneapolis 270
25 Pathmark Stores Inc., Carteret, N.J. 264
26 Randall's Food Markets Inc., Houston 219
27 Costco Wholesale, Issaquah, Wash. 215
28 The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Quincy, Mass. 201
29 Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., Jacksonville, Fla. 186
30 Hannaford Brothers Company, Scarborough, Maine 185
31 Wakefern Food Corporation, Elizabeth, N.J 181
32 Discount Drug Mart Inc., Medina, Ohio 176
33 Giant Eagle Inc., Pittsburgh 174
34 USA Drug/Super D, Pine Bluff, Ark. 173
35 Duane Reade Inc., New York 167
36 Medicap Pharmacies Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa 165
37 Hy-Vee Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa 163
38 Fred's Inc., Memphis, Tenn. 160
39 Raley's, West Sacramento, Calif. 134
40 Sav-Mor Franchising Inc., Novi, Mich. 133
41 Giant Food Stores Inc., Carlisle, Pa. 130
42 Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Rochester, N.Y 129
43 Snyder's Drug Stores Inc., Minnetonka, Minn. 128
44 Happy Harry's Inc., Newark, Del. 119
Schnuck Markets Inc., St. Louis 119
46 Arrow Corporation, Farmington, Conn. 117
47 Kinney Drug Inc., Gouverneur, N.Y 104
48 Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc., Montvale, N.J. 102
49 Quality Food Centers Inc., Bellevue, Wash. 98
50 Top's Markets Inc., Williamsville, N.Y. 90
Rank % of sales Average no. No. of stores % of stores
from Rx of scripts per store with Rx with Rx
1 57% 167 3,962 96%
2 50 251 2,540 N/A
3 64 182 2,748 100
4 50 147 3,821 96
5 4 173 2,437 84
6 44 212 1,146 N/A
7 6 175 1,091 77
8 5 10 1,570 73
9 95 140 1,065 100
10 37 249 381 100
11 5 138 795 53
12 4 150 710 72
13 13 150 137 79
14 9 219 300 35
15 58 160 251 100
16 6 220 138 53
17 31 157 197 100
18 12 207 145 91
19 41 200 135 100
20 3 181 271 46
21 63 136 147 94
22 25 235 106 100
23 3 106 117 100
24 1 132 326 35
25 7 180 128 96
26 9 175 110 96
27 1 183 198 69
28 4 150 137 72
29 N/A 92 703 56
30 6 157 110 73
31 4 130 122 66
32 47 225 43 100
33 4 80 118 59
34 60 181 113 100
35 28 133 130 94
36 95 122 134 N/A
37 5 130 121 49
38 27 123 179 63
39 6 200 88 75
40 63 200 72 100
41 4 150 72 48
42 5 100 56 98
43 64 169 55 100
44 60 270 39 N/A
7 170 79 87
46 90 172 74 89
47 59 204 53 N/A
48 1 125 204 22
49 5 120 14 16
50 3 115 81 34
51 Seaway Food Town Inc., Maumee, Ohio 88 14 194 42 60
52 Dominick's Finer Foods Inc., Northlake, Ill. 87 3 130 93 81
53 The Penn Traffic Company, Syracuse, N.Y. 85 3 130 89 37
54 Thrifty Drug Stores Inc., Minneapolis 80 73 140 45 100
55 Marc's, Cleveland 78 15 120 40 85
56 May's Drug Stores Inc., Tulsa, Okla. 73 61 178 36 100
57 Drug Fair/Cost Cutters, Somerset, N.J. 72 26 250 35 74
58 Hi-School Pharmacy Inc., Vancouver, Wash. 65 50 178 35 100
The Grand Union Company, Wayne, N.J. 65 3 87 56 25
60 Farmacias El Amal, San Juan, P.R. 64 40 275 50 100
61 Bi-Mart Corp., Eugene. Ore. 63 13 180 51 100
62 Aurora Pharmacy Inc., Milwaukee 61 90 75 74 100
63 The Bartell Drug Company, Seattle 60 38 186 44 100
Bi-Lo Inc., Greenville, S.C. 60 2 84 85 32
65 NeighborCare, Baltimore 59 90 158 34 97
66 Weis Markets Inc., Sunbury, Pa. 58 3 110 94 59
67 Horizon Pharmacies Inc., Denison, Texas 56 75 180 43 N/A
Pharmhouse Corporation, East Brunswick, N.J. 56 30 175 30 94
69 Edgehill Drugs, Georgetown, Del. 53 71 220 25 N/A
70 Farm Fresh Inc., Norfolk, Va. 52 7 174 36 82
71 Medic Drug Inc., Cleveland 51 50 155 30 100
72 Pamida Inc., Omaha, Neb. 49 7 150 54 37
73 Bruno's Inc., Birmingham, Ala. 48 3 109 46 24
74 United Supermarkets Inc., Lubbock, Texas 42 7 164 25 66
75 Cub Foods, Stillwater, Minn. 41 1 110 63 100
76 Minyard Food Stores Inc., Coppell, Texas 40 4 100 47 56
77 Golub Corporation, Schenectady, N.Y. 39 2 125 32 31
78 Med-X Corporation, Tulsa, Okla. 38 60 190 21 100
79 Village Supermarket Inc., Springfield. N.J. 35 5 128 14 64
Save Mart Supermarkets, Modesto, Calif. 35 3 100 26 26
81 Fruth Inc., Point Pleasant, W. Va. 34 52 250 21 100
Navarro Discount Pharmacies Inc., Miami 34 31 410 9 100
D&W Food Center, Grand Rapids, Mich. 34 8 128 20 80
84 Kash N' Karry Food Stores Inc., Tampa, Fla. 32 3 125 50 54
85 Mediserv Inc., Columbus, Ohio 31 97 150 12 100
U-Save Pharmacy Inc., Grand Island, Neb. 31 90 183 15 100
Homeland Stores Inc., Oklahoma City 31 6 100 44 64
Brookshire Grocery Company, Tyler, Texas 31 2 90 76 58
Marsh Supermarkets Inc., Indianapolis 31 2 100 28 10
90 Carr Gottstein Foods Company, Anchorage, Alaska 30 5 300 18 69
91 Shaw's Supermarkets Inc., East Bridgewater, Mass. 28 1 91 27 21
92 Lewis Drug Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D. 27 42 220 20 95
Fedco, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. 27 4 150 10 100
Foodarama Supermarkets Inc., Freehold, N.J. 27 4 110 18 86
95 Times Supermarket Ltd., Honolulu 26 15 170 11 21
96 Sedano's Pharmacy & Discount Stores Inc., Miami 25 45 234 13 100
97 Coborn's Inc., St. Cloud, Minn. 23 6 140 20 53
Inserra Supermarkets Inc., Mahwah, N.J. 23 3 100 15 65
99 Big A Drug Stores Inc., South Gate, Calif. 22 40 250 7 100
Doc's Drugs Ltd., West Chicago, Ill. 22 60 170 14 100
Source: Drug Store News/Chain Store Guides
Scripts filled by the top 50 chains
Rank Chain Total no. of scripts
1 CVS Corp. 689,299
2 Walgreen Company 667,158
3 Eckerd Corporation 500,136
4 Rite Aid Corporation 562,569
5 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 202,271
6 American Drug Stores Company 242,952
7 The Kroger Company 190,925
8 Kmart Corp. 167,990
9 Medicine Shoppe International Inc. 149,100
10 Longs Drug Stores Inc. 94,869
11 Safeway Inc. 109,710
12 Albertson's Inc. 106,500
13 Giant Food Inc. 39,045
14 Fred Meyer Inc. 65,700
15 Brooks Pharmacy 38,560
16 H.E. Butt Grocery Company 30,000
17 Drug Emporium Inc. 22,655
18 ShopKo Stores Inc. 30,015
19 Genovese Drug Stores Inc. 27,000
20 Publix Super Markets Inc. 49,051
21 Kerr Drug Inc. 19,992
22 Phar-Mor Inc. 25,000
23 Meijer Inc. 12,402
24 Target 92,796
25 Pathmark Stores Inc. 23,040
26 Randall's Food Markets Inc. 9,250
27 Costco Wholesale 36,234
28 The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company 20,550
29 Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. 64,676
30 Hannaford Brothers Company 17,270
31 Wakefern Food Corporation 5,860
32 Discount Drug Mart Inc. 9,700
33 Giant Eagle Inc. 9,440
34 USA Drug/SuperD 20,500
35 Duane Reade Inc. 17,290
36 Medicap Pharmacies Inc. 17,934
37 Hy-Vee Inc. 15,730
38 Fred's Inc. 22,017
39 Raley's 17,600
40 Sav-Mor Franchising Inc. 14,400
41 Giant Food Stores Inc. 10,800
42 Wegmans Food Markets Inc. 5,600
43 Snyder's Drug Stores Inc. 9,295
44 Happy Harry's Inc. 10,800
Schnuck Markets Inc. 13,430
46 Arrow Corporation 11,352
47 Kinney Drug Inc. 11,000
48 Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc. 25,500
49 Quality Food Centers Inc. 1,680
50 Top's Markets Inc. 9,315
Rank Average no.
of scripts per store
1 167
2 251
3 182
4 147
5 173
6 212
7 175
8 107
9 140
10 249
11 138
12 150
13 285
14 219
15 160
16 220
17 157
18 207
19 200
20 181
21 136
22 235
23 106
24 132
25 180
26 175
27 183
28 150
29 92
30 157
31 130
32 225
33 80
34 181
35 133
36 122
37 130
38 123
39 200
40 200
41 150
42 100
43 169
44 270
170
46 172
47 204
48 125
49 120
50 115
Source: Drug Store News/Chain Store Guides
Primary wholesalers for the top 50 chains
Chain Primary wholesaler
CVS Corp. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Walgreen Company Cardinal Health Inc.
Eckerd Corporation Bindley Western Drug Company
Rite Aid Corporation N/A
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
American Drug Stores McKessonHBOC Inc.
The Kroger Company Bindley Western Drug Company
Kmart Corp. Cardinal Health, Inc.
Medicine Shoppe International Inc. Cardinal Health, Inc.
Longs Drug Stores Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Safeway Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Alhertson's Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Giant Food Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Fred Meyer Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Brooks Pharmacy Bindley Western Drug Company
H.E. Butt Grocery Co. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Drug Emporium Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
ShopKo Stores Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Genovese Drug Stores Inc. Neuman Health Services Inc.
Publix Super Markets Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Kerr Drug Inc. Cardinal Health Inc.
Phar-Mor Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Meijer Inc. Frank W. Kerr Company
Target McKessonHBOC Inc.
Pathmark Stores Inc. AmenSource Corporation
Randall's Food Markets Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Costco Wholesale McKessonHBOC Inc.
The Stop & Shop Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Supermarket Company
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. Bindley Western Drug Company
Hannaford Brothers Company Cardinal Health Inc.
Wakefern Food Corporation Cardinal Health Inc.
Discount Drug Mart Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Giant Eagle Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
USA Drug/SuperD McKessonHBOC Inc.
Duane Reade Inc. Neuman Health Services Inc.
Medicap Pharmacies Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Hy-Vee Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Fred's Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Raley's Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Sav-Mor Franchising Inc. Frank W. Kerr Company
Giant Food Stores Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Snyder's Drug Stores Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Happy Harry's Inc. Cardinal Health Inc.
Schnuck Markets Inc. D& K Healthcare Resources Inc.
Arrow Corporation McKessonHBOC Inc.
Kinney Drug Inc. Cardinal Health Inc.
Great Atlantic & Pacific McKesson HBOC Inc.
Tea Company Inc.
Quality Food Centers Inc. McKessonHBOC Inc.
Top's Markets Inc. Bergen Brunswig Corporation
Source: Drug Store News/Chain Store Guides
Who's who in managed care
Chain PBM
Albertson's Inc. Albertson's Better Care
American Drug Stores Rx America
Arrow Corporation Arrow VNA Home Health Center
CVS Corp. PharmaCare
Discount Drug Mart Inc. Immediate Pharmaceutical Services
Drug Emporium Inc. Drug Emporium Inc. and Prescription
Plus
Eckerd Corporation Eckerd Health Services
Genovese Drug Stores Inc. GenPlus Managed Care
Hi-School Pharmacy Inc. Hi-School Managed Care
Kinney Drugs Inc. Kinney Drugs Inc. Managed Care
Services
Longs Drug Stores Inc. Rx America
May's Drug Stores Inc. Mor-Val Health Care
Medicine Shoppe International Inc. Managed Pharmacy Benefits Inc. and
Medicine Shoppe InterNet Inc.
NeighborCare CareCard
Rite Aid Corporation Eagle Managed Care and PCS
Safeway Inc. Safeway Managed Care
ShopKo Stores Inc. ShopKo ProVantage
Wakefern Food Corporation RxPlus
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMS Prescription Drug Plans
Walgreen Company WHP Health Initiatives and Walgreen
Health Care
Source: Drug Store News/Chain Store Guides
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