Rexall

Rexall was a chain of American drugstores, and the name of their store-branded products. The stores, having roots in the federation of United Drug Stores starting in 1903, licensed the Rexall brand name to as many as 12,000 drug stores across the United States from 1920 to 1977. The "Rex" in the name was derived from the name of Ellen M. Regis—"Regis" being Latin for "of the king"—who developed "Rexall remedies" and from whom the company purchased the mark.[1]

Founding

In 1903, Louis K. Liggett persuaded 40 independent drug stores to invest $4,000 (~$ in ) in a retailers' cooperative called United Drug Stores, which sold products under the Rexall name. After World War I, the cooperative established a franchise arrangement whereby independently owned retail outlets adopted the Rexall trade name and sold Rexall products. The company was based in Boston,[2] in an area now occupied by Northeastern University.

Rexall Train

The Rexall Train of March to November 1936 toured the United States and Canada to promote Rexall drug store products, and to provide the equivalent of a national convention for local Rexall druggists without the cost of travel.

Growth

Justin Whitlock Dart, formerly of the Walgreens drugstore chain, took control of Boston-based United Drug Company in 1943. The chain operated with the Liggett, Owl, Sonta, and Rexall brands, which Dart rebranded under the Rexall name.

Rexall gained national exposure through its sponsorship of two famous classic American radio programs of the 1940s and 1950s: Amos and Andy and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. Both shows were often opened by an advertisement from an actor (Griff Barnett) portraying "your Rexall family druggist", and included the catch phrase "Good health to all from Rexall." They also sponsored the Jimmy Durante Show and references are made by the character Mr. Peavey in some of The Great Gildersleeve radio shows. Rexall also sponsored Richard Diamond, Private Detective starring Dick Powell from April 1950 until Camel cigarettes replaced Rexall as the sponsor after the December 6, 1950, broadcast.

In 1946, United-Rexall Drug Inc. purchased the Renfro chain in Texas, and Lane Drug Stores which had 58 stores throughout the Southeast. It also started the Owl Superstores chain. In 1947, the company held a gala opening for their new headquarters and the first store in Los Angeles, California. The new Hollywood Owl was reported in Life magazine as 'the World's Biggest Drugstore'.[4] In 1958, the Rexall Drug Company was the largest U.S. drug store franchise, with 11,158 stores. By comparison, fewer than 12,000 McDonald's restaurants are in the U.S. today. Time magazine noted that two-thirds of its stores were in areas where one-third of the population lived. However, this comprised more than 20% of all drug stores in the United States.

Also in 1958, Rexall employee Joe Coulombe was asked to test the start of Pronto Markets, a store brand to compete against 7-Eleven. After running six Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area, Rexall asked Coulombe to close them down. Coulombe decided to buy them out instead, and eventually renamed the chain "Trader Joe's".[5]

Dart sold his stake in Rexall in 1978. He had acquired stakes in West Bend, Duracell, Hobart Corporation, Tupperware, Ralph Wilson Plastics, and Archer Glass, which were collectively known as Dart Industries.

type	Private
foundation	1903, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
location city	Boston, Massachusetts
industry	Pharmaceuticals
homepage	rexall.com

Founding

Rexall Train

Growth

Decline

Rexall-Sundown

Dollar General and Rexall

See also

Further reading

External links

References