RARITAN, N.J. — New Jersey-based Drug Fair Stores is one of the few regional drugstore chains in America. Although it lacks the buying clout of its big competitors, the 37-store chain doesn’t take a backseat when it comes to beauty.
The commitment to cosmetics is most visible in a new store that opened last month here in a former Walgreens location. Walgreens exited the site to move across the street to a freestanding venue, leaving this prime real estate, next to a Stop & Shop, for the taking.
Beauty occupies the center of the store in a large and airy department filled with national and niche brands. Drug Fair has the luxury of space to devote to cosmetics. The store features the latest Revlon fixture complete with space for the Limited Edition Collection promotional items. A vendor who walked the store commented that Revlon really “has it together” with this new fixture.
Other large areas within the store include a huge glass fragrance department with brands such as Guess, Paris Hilton and Drakkar Noir, all priced under $20. Across from the prestige area are open-serve scents such as Adidas for Men and a special display of Demeter fragrances, a line not typically sold in mass stores.
Major brands such as L’Oréal, Physicians Formula and Cover Girl all have large departments. But there’s also footage allocated to smaller brands such as Jane, Aziza, Styli-Style, Prestige and Pantina. “We just got into their stores and we expect it to be a great partnership,” said Grant Berry, chief executive officer of Styli-Style’s owner Intermark.
One department that Drug Fair really has mastered is nail care. In addition to the full array of Sally Hansen items, Drug Fair has several brands of artificial nails and implements including a house label called Premier Value.
The deep and broad product assortments aren’t limited to beauty. The opening gondola in the store is devoted to hair care, where there are multiple facings of all major and salon brands. The long walls of hair care give shoppers the sense Drug Fair is “in” the business.
For suppliers, Drug Fair offers an opportunity to get entry into retail doors. So many large chains have huge demands making it difficult for fledgling beauty lines. Several manufacturers also applaud the chain’s beauty buyer Gerri Pienta for her knack at knowing what to buy for her customers. All Drug Fair stores are located within New Jersey communities, many of which are small towns where the chain serves as the local pharmacy reminiscent of independent drugstores that have mostly faded away. Locations range from north points such as Ramsey to south New Jersey in Howel.
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Drug Fair also manages to operate 14 separate deep discount stores under the Cost Cutters logo. These units offer rock-bottom prices on items, especially seasonal. The beauty departments are also large and offer lines not found at other chains. The company often slips Cost Cutters in locations that are too close to existing Drug Fairs to place another traditional drugstore.
The chain is tight-lipped about expansion, but has added about three to four new doors per year since 2004.
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Intermark USA, makers of Styli-Style, has tapped Debra Leipman Yale as chief marketing officer. She’ll oversee all aspects of brand and company marketing. Yale is the former chief marketing officer of Revlon and has more than 25 years of beauty experience, including 19 years at Clairol. After doing some non-beauty activities including raising three children, Yale was introduced to Intermark’s ceo Berry via mutual acquaintances.
The two have found they have a similar passion about the business. They even have more in common than that — they live a mile apart and their kids are together in a local production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Berry has grown the business to be an innovator in eye. With Yale on board, the duo hopes to bring similar innovation to other categories. “I’ve worked in big companies and small. I love the opportunity to have the chance with this company to bring true innovation,” said Yale.
The company has been known for firsts such as the flat pencil. Yale is truly a product junkie, covering topics from the cool hair color of a waitress at a recent lunch to what makes a successful new item. “There’s always shelf space for the right item,” she concluded.