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NEW YORK — CVS/pharmacy has debuted a redesigned front end emphasizing health and beauty products and healthy food.
CVS/pharmacy has debuted a redesigned front end emphasizing health and beauty products and healthy food.
The new look and broadened selection, being rolled out at selected stores starting with 150 high-volume urban outlets, are the next steps in "the company’s evolution to better support customers’ health in its retail stores" following its cigarette ban, CVS Health said.
The strategy was showcased last month at a New York City store tour led by top executives, including Helena Foulkes, president of CVS/pharmacy; Judy Sansone, senior vice president of front-store business; Cia Tucci, vice president of store brands; and Alex Perez-Tenessa, vice president of beauty and personal care. They said the initiative is informed by learnings from the ExtraCare loyalty program and the chain’s personalization efforts.
The layout includes more healthy food items and beverages, a widened selection of over-the-counter products, and more premium products and displays to give the beauty department a specialty look and feel.
Plans call for more than 500 stores to add hundreds of organic/natural food items, including such brands as Kashi, Cascadian Farms, Amy’s Kitchen and Annie’s Homegrown. Chainwide, more than 30 new offerings have been added to CVS’ Gold Emblem Abound private label line, which offers a variety of nutritional benefits and has no artificial preservatives or flavors and no trans fats.
With consumers increasingly tending to snack, they are pursuing healthier between-meal options at convenient locations, Foulkes said.
Some stores also feature a new layout up front to provide quicker access to healthier food. The retailer, too, has expanded the Fit Choices shelf tagging system, which underscores such benefits as heart healthy, gluten free, sugar free and organic. New tags include "good source of protein" and "non-GMO verified."
In the O-T-C section, a larger array of condition-specific items is slated for introduction, including a new women’s wellness product assortment in more than 2,200 stores. Improved guidance will help customers with chronic conditions such as arthritis.
Enhancements and new products in the beauty department aim to create a more upscale, contemporary shopping experience for customers. The changes include an expanded mix in categories linked to health through a sharper focus on organic and clinical beauty products targeting specific needs and conditions.
