Rexall (Canada) Explained

Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC
Type:Subsidiary (ULC)
Industry:Retail, pharmacy
Trade Name:Rexall
Location:Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Num Locations:400
Num Locations Year:2022
Key People:Nicolas Caprio (President)
Num Employees:8,000
Num Employees Year:2022
Parent: (1996–2016)
McKesson Canada
(2016–present)
Footnotes:[1]

Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC is a chain of retail pharmacies in Canada. Rexall is owned by McKesson Canada, which is a subsidiary of McKesson Corporation, a U.S.-based public company.[1] Founded in 1904, Rexall has approximately 400 pharmacies across Canada with 8,000 employees.[2]

History

Rexall was founded in 1904 during the early days of the United Drug Company and quickly established itself as a major retail pharmacy chain. At the same time, Tamblyn Drugs was establishing itself in Toronto, Ontario, and would eventually become Pharma Plus. These two companies would later merge to form the Rexall Pharmacy Group.[3]

McKesson Canada purchased Rexall in December 2016 for $3 billion from the Katz Group of Companies.[4] At the time, it was estimated that Rexall had an average annual revenue of approximately $2.0 to $2.5 billion.[5] Around this period, one of the major rival pharmacies in Canada was Shoppers Drug Mart.[6]

In 2018, the president of Rexall at that point, Beth Newlands Campbell, announced that the Pharma Plus brand would be discontinued and all stores would be converted to Rexall in order to create a more consistent look for the chain.[7]

The company was in partnership with Air Miles, which Rexall accepted as a loyalty program. In May 2020, Rexall discontinued its partnership with Air Miles as a loyalty program at its stores and created its own loyalty program called Be Well, with which customers can collect points in order to redeem in-store items, similar to Air Miles.[8]

In January 2024, The Globe and Mail reported that McKesson had begun exploring the possibility of selling Rexall to potential buyers.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About the Company. Rexall. 2 February 2018.
  2. Web site: About the Company . 2022-08-29 . www.rexall.ca.
  3. Web site: Rexall.ca Company. 2020-09-22. www.rexall.ca.
  4. Web site: Rexall drug store chain to be sold to McKesson in $3 billion deal . 2020-09-22 . Financial Post . en-CA.
  5. News: Shaw . Hollie . 2016-03-03 . Rexall drug store chain to be sold to McKesson in $3 billion deal . en . Financial Post . 2022-08-29.
  6. News: Rexall takeover shakes up Canada's drugstore industry . 2020-09-22.
  7. News: Strauss . Marina . 2018-05-21 . How Rexall plans to slim down for healthier profit in a competitive market . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-09-08.
  8. News: Rexall drops Air Miles to launch its own loyalty program . 2020-09-22.
  9. News: 2024-01-11 . Rexall pharmacy chain put up for sale as American owner rethinks Canadian footprint, sources say . 2024-01-14 . The Globe and Mail . en-CA.