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Rite Aid Pharmacy Locations

AKRON, Ohio -- Rite Aid cracked the hood to its new-store prototype at Waterloo Avenue and Glenmont Road here earlier this month, showcasing the chain's shiny new sales engine that's expected to help both drive front-end turns and facilitate pharmacy traffic.

Clearly, the pharmacy in this store is intended to fuel that new engine. As soon as the customer walks through the front entrance, positioned in one of the corners of what is more or less a 10,800-square-foot rectangular retail box, there is a clear line of sight to the pharmacy at the rear of the store, and the pathway running back toward that pharmacy is without obstruction.

Possibly more telling about Rite Aid's emphasis on its pharmacy business is the large white block letters just above the pharmacy--PHARMACIST. It's a subtle distinction, but that signage communicates to customers that there is a living, breathing person behind that pharmacy counter who's ready to answer any health-related questions.

To one side of the pharmacy, there is a waiting area inset from the rest of the store for those consumers wanting to take a break from shopping. Within that waiting area there is a private consultation room for Rite Aid pharmacists and their patients.

Personal care and OTC is located just opposite the pharmacy area.

Rite Aid's previous prototype featured a dogleg turn with a wide aisle that walked the customer past virtually every front-end segment of the store. And while that prototype was definitely endcap-friendly, Rite Aid customers couldn't necessarily see the pharmacy from the front of the store, a situation Rite Aid executives wanted to change.

Yet, customers walking into the new store will still

be able to identify shopping destinations easily from that initial walk-in. Most of the fixturing in the store stands no higher than 6 feet--allowing shoppers to locate areas of interest quickly.

Because most drug stores cater to the female head-of-household, beauty care is oftentimes the first section presented to that customer. Rite Aid's new prototype is no exception--an expansive cosmetics and bath and body department is located directly across from the entranceway in the atrium of the store. The section is set apart through its diagonally faced aisles--aisles throughout the rest of the store stand perpendicular to the walls--and a different color scheme between the floor tiles and the lime-colored ceiling.

The photo department stands to the immediate left of the customer walking into the store, just past the check-stand. Hanging above the photo section is a circular sign that reads For your memories." Beyond the photo counter there are batteries and small electronics items, followed by greeting cards and gift wraps. Rite Aid's selection of magazines is located over here, as well.

To the right of the entranceway is both the convenience food mart--packed with snack options and beverages--and the seasonal merchandise area, which at this point of the year features a selection of trim-a-tree items. The cooler and freezer units are built into the wall in the corner of this section.

One of five Akron locations, Rite Aid's latest incarnation has been relocated across the street from its original spot and onto a corner lot with ample parking and a drive-through pharmacy. Within eyesight of the new store are three more pharmacies--two in the same strip center just down the street. Rite Aid's stone's throw competition includes grocers Tops and Giant Eagle--two leading food operators in the Ohio area--and the discounter Marc's. Rite Aid's new drive-through is certainly a point of convenience over its nearby competition.

There is also a GNC storefront in the area, a fact that precludes Rite Aid from employing its GNC store-within-a-store concept in this location. Down the road from the new Rite Aid there is a Veterans Affairs clinic, and behind the Rite Aid is an older neighborhood (the trees stand some 30 feet tall) featuring a significant cluster of single-family units and an apartment complex or two.

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