Chain Drug Review, January 8, 2019

36 Chain Drug Review January 7 2019 NEWS RETAILER OF THE YEAR Bartells stands apart from other regional drug chains Service to patients and shoppers the editors of Chain Drug Review have named the company the publications Regional Chain of the Year The person who along with Bartell and his sister vice chairman and treasurer Jean Bartell Barber is most responsible for building on that legacy is Kathi Lentzsch A proven retail leader with more than three decades of experience in a variety of trade channels Lentzsch became the companys chief executive officer in January Prior to that Lentzsch held executive positions at leading retailers including Pier 1 Imports Cost Plus World Market and Williams Sonoma Pottery Barn where she oversaw the turnaround and repositioning of Pottery Barn as a premium home brand Lentzsch also has experience in the drug channel from her tenure as president and CEO of formerly Berkeley Calif based Elephant Pharmacy Lentzschs journey to Bartells started with a call from a recruiter Although she wasnt looking to make a move at the time Lentzsch says my ears perked up when the recruiter mentioned Bartells Someone at Elephant Pharmacy told me Theres nothing like Elephant in the country but the closest might be Bartells Because of that I wanted to talk to them Lentzsch says What attracted Lentzsch the most to Bartells is that the company is all about a focus on local impact and family she says which is my passion So Lentzsch packed up her life left 28 years of friends behind and headed to the Pacific Northwest to settle down in Seattle When she arrived to start her career at Bartells earlier this year Lentzsch says she saw a store that sets itself apart from the bigger chain competitors a characteristic important to her and had similarities to Elephant I saw stores doing some of the same things we had done at Elephant with the low profile fixtures she says Although Bartells is laid out more similarly to a traditional drug store than Elephant the assortment had some similar products and had a focus on local It excited me that Bartells was doing so much with local products and supporting local businesses In her first few months on the job Lentzsch says her primary focus was on the companys implementation of a new ERP business management software system and the construction of a new warehouse And as often happens in large organizations Lentzsch says the company fell behind schedule I could not spend much time on the brand and focused on the operational side of the business We had to get the systems working she explains noting however that the ERP system has since stabilized and the new warehouse is running smoothly providing the company with double the square feet of its previous facility That allows Bartells to work with more vendors directly In her short time with the company Lentzsch did find time to work on the brand and sharpen the focus on what Bartells stands for how we continue the legacy Its important to Lentzsch to get to the essence of the brand and not alter what the Bartell family has built but instead bring the essence forward and make what they established more contemporary Central to Lentzschs leadership philosophy is putting employees first which she believes creates a ripple effect that washes over everyone If you put them first and theyre happy your customers are going to be happy she says And your vendors are going to be pleased if they deal with individuals who like what they do One of the things we talk about here is treating people better than they expect to be treated Lentzsch and the leadership team also developed a new brand ideal Bartells according to this new ideal exists to celebrate the potential of kindness caring compassion and choice and its caring and compassion Lentzsch notes that has been one of the signature attributes of the Bartell family We also wanted to reestablish the pillars behind the brand she says so when we made decisions we always considered the brand pillars Health and wellness is one of those pillars Another foundational pillar that has always been important to Bartells is service which Lentzsch says the company tracks very carefully with daily customer surveys Lentzsch believes service fell off over the last two years due to some of the challenges the company had with the warehouse transition and the ERP implementation There were times we didnt have products getting to the stores she says Now were through those tough times and our service levels are improving considerably Stock issues Lentzsch notes are more than just inconveniences to customers She believes lack of inventory takes a toll on the morale of the workforce and customers can sense that The third pillar is all about our local impact and the fourth pillar is humanity We want all of our behaviors modeled to the fourth pillar This is where compassion and kindness step in The four pillars are what were really focused on now Bartells is a company rich in tradition which is highlighted by the fact that Lentzsch is only the fifth CEO in the companys 128 year history One tradition is the companys holiday gift guide which Bartells has offered during the holidays for nearly 20 years now What stands out at Bartells during the holidays is the companys focus on toys We have a specialty store mindset with our toy business says Brent Beebe the companys senior vice president of merchandising We work really hard to get specialty toy vendors to sell to us The factors that play into the companys success in toys Beebe explains are essentially the factors that play into the success in all the companys categories Keeping it local is essential according to Beebe who notes that living in the same area where one does business provides invaluable insights into what customers want and need Having unique products on the shelves is another reason Bartells stands out in the toy and gift category Beebe says I would say the local service and product ultimately continues to provide a moat for us Beebe says Bartells is focused on staying true to its core values the values that have made the company a success for more than a century And that means not following some of the bigger competitors Our front ofstore business is a huge part of our business and is extremely important to us Beebe says adding that because he cant out CVS CVS or out Walgreens Walgreens he competes on selection When youre in Bartells I encourage you to go and look at a category that youre familiar Continued from page 1 Kathi Lentzsch Billy Chow Brent Beebe Adam Wampler Continued on page 38 Bartells International Fountain offers ice cream and beer Regional Chain of the Year When Every Transaction Matters its Bavis that delivers D R I V E T H R U DONE R I G H T Lane One Transaction Drawers and Full Slide In Options that include Drawer Window Counter High Capacity Positive Drive Remote Delivery with no Power to Island Lanes Needed Level 1 UL Listed Bullet Resistant Windows Including Hurricane 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