STOP &SHOP TO OPEN STANDALONE PHARMACIES

Dan Alaimo and Liza Casabona

QUINCY, Mass. -- Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. will test a freestanding pharmacy in a professional building in Bourne, Mass., said John Fegan, senior vice president of pharmacy for parent company Ahold USA, Braintree, Mass.

Unlike temporary freestanding pharmacies that Stop & Shop and other retailers open for construction, zoning or other reasons, this is intended to be a permanent location, he said. It's in a multi-physician medical center, which has some urgent care capabilities, he said.

"This is just a look-see," Fegan told SN. "It's a test of the viability of capturing the consumer as they leave the practitioners' offices, with the idea that when they get home, and are back in their neighborhoods using their grocery stores, there might be an opportunity for us to fill their prescriptions."

The Bourne pharmacy was planned to open in late April or early May, he said. A second freestanding pharmacy will be added at a time to be determined, he said.

Four Stop & Shop supermarkets with pharmacies are located within 12 miles of Bourne, which is on Cape Cod, according to the company's Web site.

"This gives them the convenience" of picking up their prescriptions at the physician's office. With a variety of retail pharmacy options available, "we have helped them make their choice as to where they are going to go," he said.