Stater Bros. Takes Over 15 In-store Pharmacies
COLTON, Calif. -- Growing regional supermarket operator Stater Bros. here has added a new notch on its belt, by acquiring 15 of the Super Rx pharmacies currently located in its stores.
Stater Bros. had formerly leased the pharmacies from John E. Tilley, R.Ph., a California businessman and longtime pharmacist. The retailer already owns three of the Super Rx pharmacies in its newest stores. The acquisition price for the additional pharmacies was not disclosed.
"We were expanding too fast for [the previous owner] to keep up, so we decided to take over the pharmacies," Stater Bros. chairman and c.e.o. Jack Brown told Progressive Grocer earlier this week, during a tour of the company's newest supermarket in Fontana, Calif. (The store will be featured as the Oct. 1 "Store of the Month" in Progressive Grocer magazine.)
The Fontana store is one of five new units Stater Bros. will open this year. The retailer expects to have 170 full-service supermarkets by the end of next year. The company also owns and operates Santee Dairies, provider of Knudsen Dairy products to southern California.
Stater Bros. originally gained in-store pharmacies when it acquired 33 Albertson’s and 10 Lucky stores in southern California in 1999. The pharmacies were reopened under the Super Rx banner in 2001.
Stater Bros. had formerly leased the pharmacies from John E. Tilley, R.Ph., a California businessman and longtime pharmacist. The retailer already owns three of the Super Rx pharmacies in its newest stores. The acquisition price for the additional pharmacies was not disclosed.
"We were expanding too fast for [the previous owner] to keep up, so we decided to take over the pharmacies," Stater Bros. chairman and c.e.o. Jack Brown told Progressive Grocer earlier this week, during a tour of the company's newest supermarket in Fontana, Calif. (The store will be featured as the Oct. 1 "Store of the Month" in Progressive Grocer magazine.)
The Fontana store is one of five new units Stater Bros. will open this year. The retailer expects to have 170 full-service supermarkets by the end of next year. The company also owns and operates Santee Dairies, provider of Knudsen Dairy products to southern California.
Stater Bros. originally gained in-store pharmacies when it acquired 33 Albertson’s and 10 Lucky stores in southern California in 1999. The pharmacies were reopened under the Super Rx banner in 2001.