Urban cluster units conform to a "general store" concept that includes expanded grocery offerings and the addition of fresh and on-the-go food items.
"This
urban cluster has been a big win for us, but it also proves the power of this My CVS clustering approach," Cosby commented.
This allowed us to create distinct 'clusters' of stores, including an
urban cluster."
"This
urban cluster has been a big win for us," he comments, adding that the retailer will have 450 of the outlets by year-end.
Outlets in the CVS/pharmacy's
urban cluster can be seen as general stores with limited competition for consumables.
The retailer's initial foray into My CVS came in 2009 with two store groups: the food/convenience cluster and the
urban cluster. For the food/convenience cluster, which eventually comprised 4,000 stores, outlets were remodeled with a doubling of the space for consumables.
By the end of last year the
urban cluster had been implemented in 420 stores, and 50 more are planned for this year, CVS Caremark president and chief executive officer Larry Merlo told analysts during the fourth quarter conference call.
The retailer's
urban cluster units, which can be viewed as general stores in areas where there is limited food competition, have also thrived.
The food convenience cluster and
urban cluster have already proved their worth.
The chain expects to have about 420
urban cluster stores by the end of this year, he said.