CVS opens new type of store in Chicago
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CVS' new pharmacy-only store in Brighton Park. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
CVS Pharmacy is launching a new type of store and the first one is in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood.
Why it matters: The drugstore giant's new pharmacy-only stores are meant to be more accessible and staffed and stocked with what the community needs.
- In Brighton Park, on the Southwest Side, that means all Spanish bilingual employees — 85% of the neighborhood speaks Spanish — and more face-to-face interaction with the pharmacists, which 80% of CVS customers say they want.
How it works: The stores are much smaller than other CVS locations. All are 3,000 square feet or less and provide immunizations, fill prescriptions and offer over-the-counter meds. CVS president Len Shankman of pharmacy and consumer wellness told Axios many of the OTC medications at the Brighton Park store will be CVS brands, which are cheaper than other brands.
Between the lines: Pharmacy-only stores also remove the temptation to buy snacks, beauty products and household items available at larger locations.
- U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia said at a Monday press conference at the new store that he welcomed not being "barraged with potato chips and pop and all the other stuff" his grandson asks for at other drug stores.
Yes, but: A CVS spokesperson said removing those is not a driving factor in choosing where to locate the pharmacy-only concepts. Instead, Shankman said new locations are driven by geography — specifically, where need is highest.
- The Brighton Park store serves 14,000 people within a half-mile, Shankman said, so it's walkable for many people. For those unable to walk or take public transportation, delivery services are available.
- CVS plans four more pharmacy-only stores this year in Chicago — in Bronzeville, Park Manor, Stony Island and Humboldt Park — and a total of 20 nationwide.
What they're saying: "I was born and raised here in Brighton Park. It means a lot to me that CVS is investing in creating equity and parity in health," Ald. Julia Ramirez said.
- "This is an immigrant community — mostly Spanish speaking, but now we have a growing population of Asian Americans that speak Mandarin and Cantonese. So I appreciate not just the equity and parity of having access in this amenity, but also creating language access."
What's next: The Brighton Park store is looking for a pharmacy tech who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, pharmacist James Rodriguez told Axios.