Doctor's office? Try aisle 3 - Part#1
Grocery stores add medical clinics to offer one-stop shopping
You can get your hair done, your photo taken and have that nasty chest cough examined all in the same place you buy bread and T-shirts.
In another example of trying to become "a one-stop shop," Wal-Mart Canada Corp. says it's adding more medical clinics^ to its su-percentres.
The retail giant isn't the first to lease space in its stores to groups of doctors.
Wal-Mart has just 19, so far. But the retail goliath's plans to ramp up the rollout could raise the stakes for other players, particularly in the wake of recent cuts in government funding for generic drug plans.The cuts have hit pharmacies hard, especially in Ontario. Shoppers' profit and sales both declined after the province said it would cut in half the amount it pays for generic drugs for people on government plans.
Wal-Mart is pushing for a greater share of the pharmacy market.But while the presence of a medical clinic in a store can boost pharmacy sales, food and general merchandise retailers say thats not the main reason they're adding them
Along with the hair salons, McDonald's restaurants and lottery booths, Wal-Mart says the idea is to make life more convenient for its customers.
"We provide a service that saves the customer an additional trip they may be making after they come to a Wal-Mart store either for grocery or merchandise," said Ross Thompson, Wal-Marts director of licensee operations.
"Also, we like to provide a service that will bring the customer back," he added.
Wal-Mart’s issue patients with pagers that allow them to shop the rest of the store while waiting to be seen by a doctor.Patients say they like the fact the clinics take walk-in patients and are located in clean, well-run facilities.
Industry experts say large retailers are looking for ways to meet consumer demand for convenience while adding new categories of product or service that fit with their brand."Consumers are much more pressed for time," said Chris Daniel, lead author of "Emerging Trends in Grocery Retailing," a report for Ryer-son University's Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity. "When retailers want to expand their business, whatever other convenience services they can offer without damaging their brand identity is going to be a benefit from them."
Wal-Mart began adding the clinics three years ago and now has 19 across the country.
You can get your hair done, your photo taken and have that nasty chest cough examined all in the same place you buy bread and T-shirts.
In another example of trying to become "a one-stop shop," Wal-Mart Canada Corp. says it's adding more medical clinics^ to its su-percentres.
The retail giant isn't the first to lease space in its stores to groups of doctors.
Wal-Mart has just 19, so far. But the retail goliath's plans to ramp up the rollout could raise the stakes for other players, particularly in the wake of recent cuts in government funding for generic drug plans.The cuts have hit pharmacies hard, especially in Ontario. Shoppers' profit and sales both declined after the province said it would cut in half the amount it pays for generic drugs for people on government plans.
Wal-Mart is pushing for a greater share of the pharmacy market.But while the presence of a medical clinic in a store can boost pharmacy sales, food and general merchandise retailers say thats not the main reason they're adding them
Along with the hair salons, McDonald's restaurants and lottery booths, Wal-Mart says the idea is to make life more convenient for its customers.
"We provide a service that saves the customer an additional trip they may be making after they come to a Wal-Mart store either for grocery or merchandise," said Ross Thompson, Wal-Marts director of licensee operations.
"Also, we like to provide a service that will bring the customer back," he added.
Wal-Mart’s issue patients with pagers that allow them to shop the rest of the store while waiting to be seen by a doctor.Patients say they like the fact the clinics take walk-in patients and are located in clean, well-run facilities.
Industry experts say large retailers are looking for ways to meet consumer demand for convenience while adding new categories of product or service that fit with their brand."Consumers are much more pressed for time," said Chris Daniel, lead author of "Emerging Trends in Grocery Retailing," a report for Ryer-son University's Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity. "When retailers want to expand their business, whatever other convenience services they can offer without damaging their brand identity is going to be a benefit from them."
Wal-Mart began adding the clinics three years ago and now has 19 across the country.
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