Wal-Mart to Step Up Roll Out of In-Store Clinics

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Wal-Mart Stores, Bentonville, Ark., is ready to move beyond the test phase with in-store medical clinics and roll them out more quickly, said Alicia Ledlie, senior director of Health Business Development for the retailer. Ledlie spoke at the Healthcare Retail ‘07 Conference here last week. However, while Wal-Mart supports in-store clinics as a way to provide one-stop shopping, Ledlie said they are not profit centers for the retailer. “We weren‘t been able to discern a noticeable sales impact,” said Ledlie, after executives examined sales in the Wal-Mart Supercenters with in-store clinics vs. sister stores or vs. the same store the prior year. At the same time, Wal-Mart makes money off the landlord-tenant relationship with its in-store clinic providers, which include hospitals and dedicated in-store clinic companies. Wal-Mart has 75 clinics open in 12 states. She declined to specify how many clinics Wal-Mart plans to open, but said 6,000 total clinics could open in retail stores of all kinds over the next five years. -- Christine Blank