The softer side of technology: Best Buy finds new life in health-tech hybrid

Drug Store News, Feb 14, 2005 by Laura Heller

RICHFIELD, Minn. -- When news of Best Buy's newest retail concept store called eq life, which seeks to marry health care and wellness with technology and electronics, broke last fall, it raised many questions--not the least of which was: Why would a consumer electronics specialty chain branch out into pharmacy and salon services?

The answer, according to Mike Marolt, president of eq life, lies in a personal experience. A friend was battling cancer several years ago and couldn't find a health care experience that combined medical expertise with technology, one that could more easily provide answers and options to questions such as what he would look like following chemotherapy versus invasive surgery--answers Marolt felt should be more readily available to consumers.

"It's been a 2-year journey to link technology to health care," he said during a sneak peak into eq life, which opened Feb. 4 here in Richfield, a city of roughly 35,000 residents located less than 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis. The company hired consultants, analyzed consumer research and survey data and quantified the market. "Thirty million Americans today are focused on healthy living, and $1.7 trillion is spent on health care each year," said Marolt. "We found there was a customer out there, and this is a synthesis of all the research and customer findings."

So eq life was developed to include pharmacy, health and beauty products, organic and natural products, books and other informational media and a host of related products and services. The 18,000-square-foot store nestled in a strip mall boasts a soft color scheme of sage green and tan and, according to Marolt, is like nothing he's found anywhere else.

In fact, eq life is like a combination of several concepts. Take the center department of a Whole Foods Market with supplements and HBA, throw in parts of Ulta and Sephora with high-end skin care, cosmetics, salon and spa services and add a little Sharper Image, and you're close to getting an eq life.

And while many of these categories may be very much outside Best Buy's traditional core competency, the retailer has chosen to partner with existing businesses to ease its entry into new categories. Minneapolis-based Park Nicollet Health Services was tapped for its expertise in patient care and will have representatives available for in-store consultations and seminars, while pharmacy services are provided by Prairie-Stone Pharmacy, a local chain with 11 locations in the Twin Cities area, primarily in Byerly's and Lunds supermarkets.

The pharmacy sits at the rear of the store and is flanked by OTCs, vitamins and supplements. One of PrairieStone's strengths, according to founding partner John Brady, is the company's use of technology to free up pharmacists to interact more freely with customers.

The fully automated pharmacy department takes up just 400 square feet, including the manager s office. Work flow is organized to put technicians in front of computerized dispensing equipment so pharmacists are free to work the counter, greet customers and answer questions. In addition, every employee in the store is wired in to the pharmacy department, equipped with a special communication device that hangs around the neck to allow for a quick exchange of questions and answers with pharmacists.

Technology is being woven into every aspect of the store, but currently is most prominent in the right half of the location. Portable music players--including iPods--and a small CD collection are positioned as workout accessories, in addition to pedometers, scales and heart rate monitors. Kiosks and Internet-connected computers offer consumers access to health and medical information in the store, while products are merchandised by topic or use, rather than product category. Informative literature is everywhere, offering health tips, nutritional advice and testimonials from cancer survivors, among others.

Signage is lifestyle-oriented, the music serene, and canyon walls, as Marolt calls them, run down the center of the store in what look like rippling waves. Each segment of the wall represents a different feature of the store. Several portions are devoted to various lifestyle stages and age-related changes--one vignette addresses stress relief with medication, herbal remedies, yoga supplies, DVDs, candles, aromatherapy and literature.

A Caribou Coffee bar sits to the right of the entrance, but the location is devoid of Caribou's signature Alaskan lodge theme to better appeal to the stores largely female demographic. To the left is a full-service salon offering haircuts and color, manicures and pedicures, skin care and massage services. Treatment rooms resemble a high-end spa, complete with relaxation areas and spray-tan facilities.

A "community room" in the rear of the store hosts scheduled events, including yoga and Pilates classes, health screenings and seminars, consultations, spa and beauty courses and technology classes focused on entertainment or family-related uses.