Hy-Vee acquires Weber & Judd Pharmacies

Hy-Vee Inc. has purchased Weber & Judd Pharmacies, an independent drug chain in Minnesota.

Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. In announcing the deal on Monday, Hy-Vee said all 10 of the Weber & Judd locations — one of which is inside a Hy-Vee supermarket — will be converted to its banner.

Plans call for all of the sites to close on April 12 and then reopen under the Hy-Vee name on April 15. Hy-Vee said Weber & Judd pharmacy patients will receive a letter from their new Hy-Vee pharmacy with details of the change. Prescription files will automatically be transferred to Hy-Vee.

The West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocer said it expects Weber & Judd staff to continue working at their respective locations as Hy-Vee employees. Weber & Judd has served the Rochester, Minn., area since 1862.

“Weber & Judd has been an exemplary provider of pharmacy care for more than 150 years. Combining Weber & Judd with our Hy-Vee Pharmacy family is a perfect match because we both pride ourselves on providing an excellent experience to our customers,” Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker said in a statement. “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to provide this same personalized care for the Weber & Judd family of patients and communities.”

Related:Hy-Vee buys pharmacy files from Shopko

The Weber & Judd pharmacy inside Hy-Vee’s Barlow Plaza supermarket in Rochester will be rebranded as a Hy-Vee pharmacy, and patient files will remain at that location. The other Weber & Judd pharmacies — in Rochester, Kasson, Pine Island, Plainview, Preston, Spring Valley, St. Charles and Zumbrota — will be converted to Hy-Vee HealthMarket Rx locations.

Along with a full-service pharmacy, Hy-Vee HealthMarket Rx stores provide free prescription delivery, text notifications when prescriptions are ready, automated refill ordering, vaccination services, free blood pressure checks, private medication consultations and a registered dietitian for nutritional guidance. Generic drugs cost as low as $4 for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply. Hy-Vee also offers prescription management capabilities via its mobile app.

The Weber & Judd transaction marks Hy-Vee’s second pharmacy acquisition this month.

Hy-Vee on Feb. 8 announced the purchase of six Shopko pharmacies, located in Forest City, Toledo, Mount Ayr and Emmetsburg, Iowa; St. Peter, Minn.; and West Point, Neb. The supermarket chain said it would convert those locations to Hy-Vee pharmacies that would operate in the existing Shopko buildings, despite news that the financially struggling retailer was closing these locations. Plans call for the patient files to remain at those Shopko locations until a transition plan is initiated.

That deal followed Hy-Vee’s purchase of prescription files from 22 Shopko pharmacies in December. Hy-Vee said it planned to transfer the patient files to Hy-Vee pharmacies in the 17 cities where the Shopko stores were located, which include Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Prior to the recent transactions, Hy-Vee operated 260 retail pharmacies, including 228 in-store and 32 freestanding locations. The Midwestern grocer, which has more than 245 supermarkets in eight states, also has 71 retail health clinics, with most located in stores with a pharmacy.