Rexall
Pharmaceuticals | |
Founded | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. (1903) |
---|---|
Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Website | rexall.com |
Rexall was a chain of American drugstores, and the name of their store-branded products. The stores, having roots in the federation of United Drug Stores starting in 1903, licensed the Rexall brand name to as many as 12,000 drug stores across the United States from 1920 to 1977. The "Rex" in the name was derived from the name of Ellen M. Regis—"Regis" being latin for "of the king"—who developed "Rexall remedies" and from whom the company purchased the mark.[1]
Founding
In 1903, Louis K. Liggett persuaded 40 independent drug stores to invest $4,000 (~$108,927 in 2023) in a retailers' cooperative called United Drug Stores, which sold products under the Rexall name. After World War I, the cooperative established a franchise arrangement whereby independently owned retail outlets adopted the Rexall trade name and sold Rexall products. The company was based in Boston,[2] in an area now occupied by Northeastern University.
Rexall Train
The Rexall Train of March to November 1936 toured the United States and Canada to promote Rexall drug store products and to provide the equivalent of a national convention for local Rexall druggists without the cost of travel. Free tickets for locals to see displays of Rexall products were available at local Rexall drug stores. The 29,000 mile tour visited 47 of the 48 contiguous states (omitting Nevada) and parts of Canada.
A streamlined steam-powered 4-8-2 Mohawk locomotive (No. 2873) from the New York Central Railroad hauled the similarly streamlined blue-and-white train of twelve air-conditioned Pullman cars. Four of the cars contained displays, four contained convention facilities and one housed a dining car. The train was the million-dollar brainchild of Louis Liggett, who traveled in an observation car at its rear.[3]
Growth
Rexall gained national exposure through its sponsorship of two famous classic American radio programs of the 1940s and 1950s:
In 1946, United-Rexall Drug Inc. purchased the Renfro chain in Texas, and Lane Drug Stores which had 58 stores throughout the Southeast.[citation needed] It also launched the Owl Superstores chain. In 1947, the company held a gala opening for their new headquarters and first store in Los Angeles, California. The new Hollywood Owl was reported in Life as 'the World's Biggest Drugstore'.[4] In 1958, the Rexall Drug Company was the largest U.S. drug store franchise, with 11,158 stores (for comparison, fewer than 12,000 McDonald's restaurants are in the U.S. today). Time noted that two-thirds of its stores were in areas where one-third of the population lived. However, this comprised more than 20% of all drug stores in the United States.[citation needed]
Also in 1958, Rexall employee Joe Coulombe was asked to test the launch of Pronto Markets, a store brand to compete against 7-Eleven. After running six Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area, Rexall asked Coulombe to close them down. Coulombe decided to buy them out instead, and eventually renamed the chain "Trader Joe's".[5]
Dart sold his stake in Rexall in 1978. Dart had acquired stakes in
Decline
By the late 1950s, Rexall's business model of unitary franchised stores, with each store owned independently by the local pharmacist, was already coming under attack by the discount chains, such as
Rexall-Sundown
Sundown, a maker of
Dollar General and Rexall
In March 2010, Dollar General licensed the Rexall name from healthcare giant McKesson Corporation (which acquired Rexall (Canada) in 2016),[8] and announced that it would be the exclusive retailer for Rexall-branded products.[9] Rexall products are in several of the retailer's categories, including over-the-counter medication, dental care, vitamins and supplements, foot care, and first aid.
See also
References
- ^ "United Drug Co. v. Theodore Rectanus Co". 248 U.S. 90.
- ^ Drug Trade Weekly: A Commercial Publication for Druggists. D.O. Haynes. 1921.
- ^ (1) "The Rexall Train". American-Rails.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
(2) "The 1936 Million Dollar Rexall Streamlined Train". The Story of the Rexall Train of 1936. themetrains.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021. - ^ "Biggest Drugstore; Rexall has a Hollywood opening with free orchids and bandages". Life. October 13, 1947. pp. 59–62.
- ^ Kowitt, Beth (August 23, 2010). "Inside the secret world of Trader Joe's". Fortune Magazine. Cable News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ "Stations of the Staten Island Railway Pt. 1". Forgotten New York. January 21, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Ransom, Lou. "GNC drops ephedra, signals recovery". Pittsburgh Tribune. Retrieved 28 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "5 Fascinating Facts About Dollar General Investors Should Know". Asit Sharma, The Motley Fool, December 27, 2017. 27 December 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ "Dollar General to carry Rexall health care brand". Chain Drug Review, March 25, 2010. 25 March 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Further reading
- The Rexall Story: A History of Genius and Neglect by Mickey C. Smith ISBN 0-7890-2472-1
External links
- rexall.com
- The Rexall Train; article, photos and map at ThemeTrains.com
- 1958 Time magazine article
- 1946 Time magazine article
- 1949 Time magazine article
- The Rexall Tradition
- Meditrust Pharmacy
- The United Drug Company records, n.d. are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The Rexall Train at Fez City, Toronto (article and photo)