Chain Drug Review, June 4, 2018

8 Chain Drug Review June 4 2018 News Kroger inks exclusive deal with Ocado CINCINNATI Kroger Co has upped its investment in U K digital grocer Ocado as part of an exclusive agreement that will bring Ocados automated fulfillment network to the United States to bolster Krogers home delivery capabilities Kroger currently offers a clickand collect system at more than 1000 stores and it has partnered with Instacart and other services on home delivery in selected markets The agreement announced May 17 allows Kroger to leverage Ocados Smart Platform technology which offers online ordering automated warehouse fulfillment and delivery logistics Under the deal Kroger will establish a network of up to 20 automated fulfillment centers over the next three years with the first three locations to be identified this year We are actively creating a seamless digital experience for our customers Rodney McMullen Krogers chief executive officer said in a statement Our partnership with Ocado will speed up our efforts to redefine the food and grocery customer experience creating value for customers and shareholders alike Ocado has no physical stores in the United Kingdom It delivers groceries via van from its network of automated warehouses In addition it has partnered with U K grocers including Morrisons and Waitrose to offer online ordering and home delivery Ocado also has deals with French supermarket chain Casino Sobeys in Canada and ICA in Sweden Ocados distribution facilities utilize robots to fill orders Operations are guided by proprietary technology designed to optimize everything from picking and packing orders to delivery routes Ocado asserts that it spends less than competitors do to deliver groceries to customers and that its automated fulfillment network though costly to build is more efficient than the storefulfillment model favored by Walmart and other supermarket rivals As part of the partnership agreement Kroger will increase its stake in Ocado to about 6 via a subscription rights agreement We see Ocado as an innovative exciting and transformative partnership in pursuit of our Restock Kroger vision to serve America through food inspiration and uplift McMullen said The deal is seen as a game changer for Ocado which had been trying to crack the U S market and which has faced skepticism from investors worried Rodney McMullen Kroger about the high up front costs of its digital vision Optimists said the Kroger deal might give Ocado the scale it needs to demonstrate that it has the killer app for online grocery Digital tools deployed by Walmart to improve health well being Number of people with health insurance steady NEW YORK Ever since the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare was enacted Pessina on the road ahead for WBA Walgreens Gainesville project is only part of what were doing BENTONVILLE Ark Walmart and digital health company Share care have teamed up to form a strategic partnership aimed at improving the health and well being of Walmarts associates and their families and friends the retail giant announced recently Walmart says the partnership builds on the companys associate wellness strategies and delivers on its commitment to improve the health of its communities Walmart is committed to helping our associates their families and communities to improve their overall well being through wellness programs said Jacqui Canney executive vice president of global people for Walmart Partnering with Sharecare will provide our associates additional tools to inspire them on their wellness journey help our programs continue to grow and be a force for change in the communities we serve Over the years Walmart associates have transformed their lives by participating in the ZP Challenge a series of 21 day programs that encourages and rewards associates and their families to improve their overall well being by making better choices every day in the categories of fitness family food and money Building on the success of this initiative Walmart will offer its associates using ZP access to Sharecare providing them with even more robust health and wellness resources Pessina also urged analysts not to think of WBA as a single business operating under a single business model Instead the company effectively functions as a portfolio of different businesses operating in different geographical areas even though they are related to some degree which allows for synergies among them At any given time elements of our business will be in transition he said Elements will be in transformation and elements will be facing commercial or competitive challenges And as our businesses go through their natural business cycles and natural renewals and reinventions we will see periods where our growth is more organic periods where it is more acquisition based and periods where it comes more from the synergies and efficiencies that each of these activities subsequently create Pessina also explained WBAs underlying approach to the business The main points of our strategy are to drive growth and consolidate volume through organic growth partnership or acquisition and use this volume to buy best in class and most importantly significantly better than our competitors he said Other elements of the strategy include controlling costs optimizing financial efficiency and leveraging the companys financial strength Continued from page 1 in 2010 it has been in the crosshairs of the GOP and since taking office President Trump has declared the ACA Albertsons to try cutting edge tech BOISE Idaho Albertsons Cos plans to test technology like that featured in the Amazon Go concept stores where shoppers can grab products and go without standing in a checkout lane Instead the shoppers account is charged for the purchases automatically when the items are taken out of the store We are experimenting with Amazon Go like technology today where someone could come in and pick up a Plated order it would know that you were in the store it would tender an order and you could leave outside of the check stands Shane Sampson chief marketing and merchandising officer said during a presentation to analysts last month The pilot program which has not yet begun will involve a limited set of products like Plated meals and other prepared food the company said Albertsons also plans to test a similar concept at its gas stations Albertsons has also announced that Gautam Kotwal is joining the company as executive vice president and chief data and analytics officer In this new role Kotwal will be responsible for leading innovation efforts to drive value create competitive differentiation and design personalized shopper experiences wherever and however they choose to shop Kotwal most recently served as vice president of analytics data platform and data science engineering at Kohls Corp He joined Kohls in 2012 Before that he worked at Netflix Kotwal will report to president and chief operating officer Jim Donald Our omnichannel platform is something our organization is deeply committed to and to best serve our customers who shop each channel we must begin to look at data not only across our customer base but also within our company to further innovate within our industry Donald said dead and chipped away at the legislation through such measures as pulling online enrollment ads However despite these efforts the number of Americans with health insurance has been relatively unaffected A government survey published recently and reported in The New York Times shows the uninsured rate remained basically flat at 91 during the first year of the Trump administration Defenders of the ACA have referred to GOP initiatives led by the president to weaken the health care act as sabotage Yet the results of the survey have shown the ACA to be quite resilient thus far The new statistics come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC which monitors the number of Americans with and without health insurance every quarter Some smaller private surveys coming from Gallup along with the Commonwealth Fund had shown the uninsured rate rising last year Among states which expanded Medicaid programs under the ACA the uninsured rate actually fell last year Among those states opting not to expand insurance rates rose albeit slightly According to the government report 193 million fewer people were living without health insurance in 2017 compared to 2010 when Obamacare became the law of the land Goal is to do away with check stands