Monthly Retailer Category Tips — First Aid

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by Kelly Zygowski, category analyst, part of Monthly Retailer Category Tips The first aid category ranks 7th in the independent pharmacy class of trade. Use the tips below to spruce up your department and build traffic and sales! Our analysts created a list of 17 items that should be in all first aid kits. As […]

HRG Reviews 2,384 New Items in 2025

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Waukesha, Wisconsin – February 11, 2026 – HRG’s new item review team, in its ongoing evaluation of products suitable for the independent pharmacy channel, reviewed 2,384 new health, beauty, and wellness (HBW) items in 2025. This is an increase of 29.8% from the 1,837 products reviewed in 2024. This increase is noteworthy because 2025 is […]

A Successful Change-UP

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Communication is key when you’re updating UPCs By Andrea Ferrier, business development manager Manufacturer UPC changes occur for a myriad of reasons — a new formulation, package downsizing to keep costs and pricing in line, or perhaps a product line was purchased from another manufacturer and the UPCs need to align with your company’s UPC […]

Develop a market niche

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By Megan Moyer, corporate marketing manager, for the “Profits in the front end” blog series  Competitive pressures rarely take a back seat. As an independent operator, you have an inherent advantage in your flexibility to make changes as you see fit, without having to “run it up the ladder” or build your case to convince […]

Brick-and-mortar retailing is far from its death bed

Dave Wendland

by Dave Wendland, as seen in Chain Drug Review During the height of the pandemic, it was not uncommon to hear predictions that brick-and-mortar retail could only exist in the rear-view mirror. Storefronts were shuttered, e-commerce was booming, and convenience was winning out over experience. In fact, some naysayers were proclaiming the demise of physical […]

Invite your staff to implement their ideas

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  By Megan Moyer, corporate marketing manager, for the “Profits in the front end” blog series  Getting your staff involved in generating and implementing ideas for your store is a great way to get them invested in the success of the store and empower them to think creatively to find ways to build the business, […]