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HOWARD, WIS. - It was a year and a half in the making, but this month ShopKo debuted its Express Rx drug store format with three stores in Wisconsin. It's the first of the chain's efforts to move into the stand-alone drug store business as the company looks for growth beyond its discount department store base.
Two of the three units are near ShopKo's Green Bay headquarters in suburban Howard and Ledgeview; the third, in Port Washington, was an existing business acquired and then converted to the Express format. The stores average approximately 15,000 square feet, with the Port Washington unit slightly smaller as it does not include an optical department. Each store differs slightly to allow ShopKo the opportunity to test and evaluate the program, according to Mike Bettiga, senior vp of health services.
DSN Retailing Today toured the ShopKo Express Rx in Howard just one day after the store soft-opened, prior to the Jan. 15 grand opening for all three units. A monument sign in the parking lot flashes a digital display touting promotions, and a clock tower above the entrance tops the new ShopKo Express sign. The emphasis of the signage is on "Express Rx," but the effort is pure ShopKo, as management hopes to capitalize on...