MMR: Mass Market Retailers, June 22, 2020

MASS MARKET RETAILINGS MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN roles at Staples Ive also held several roles focused on international business development Europe Australia China Japan Argentina Brazil and India including a merchandising leadership assignment in China When asked what has most significantly influenced her life and career she says curiosity thinking differently and recognizing that opportunities unfold in unexpected ways being interested even before things are clear She adds that opportunities that make a difference are all around us and its our job to be WOONSOCKET R I Brenda Lord loves the quick pace and breadth of products in retail which includes business customer behavior design and storytelling and she brings all those elements into her job as vice president of store brands and quality assurance at CVS Health where she is responsible for the portfolio of the companys private label products My entire career has focused on building business by focusing on the customer and creating products that serve needs she says Prior to CVS Health I held a number of global leadership open have faith be interested in the richness of the people we meet along the way and keep our eyes on the horizon This approach has opened many doors to new challenges interesting people and meaningful work I feel so fortunate and am so passionate about leading our private brand business at CVS Health This involves focus on our customer through deep customer insight the development of brands in our portfolio and the creation of products and packaging to serve our customer in their path to better health Its about finding the right suppliers and working to make sure they meet our high standards for quality Lord notes that the companys private brands are an important expression of the enterprise brand as they are one of the biggest touchpoints to CVS Health for our customers and I must be strategic while understanding the details in order to support the team also a strong driver of profitability for our front store business Thats where the magic is finding and fostering the right mix of people to create the portfolio of products Creative technical detailed problem solving and insightful and how to make it all work together well When asked about what accomplishments she is most proud of she cites three things The first is fostering a team that is customer obsessed purpose driven and focused on leading not following She says the second is continuing to lead the industry with purpose A few examples are removing chemicals of concern from formulations of beauty and personal care products things like parabens phthalates formaldehyde donors oxybenzone and octinoxate And launching Tested to Be Trusted standards requiring third party testing for both private and national brands in supplements to confirm the accuracy of the dietary ingredients listed on the supplement facts panel and to make sure they are free from certain additives and ingredients Lastly she names launching several new brands that have already produced great results and won awards but stresses We have more to come Lord says that COVID 19 made her position more challenging Its been so impressive to see how everyone has risen to this challenge Doing customer research creating prototypes developing packaging and working with suppliers all of this has to be done in new ways and its gone amazingly well Everyone has shown a lot of creativity She says their challenge is to balance demand for the CVS Health brand with continued demand for national brands especially during this time the companys busiest pharmacies from 1998 to 2002 It was then that her passionate commitment to a holistic approach to health care was born We filled thousands of scripts per week there she recalls And it was there that I was able to understand the breadth and scope of what we could do beyond the pharmacy counter While I went to pharmacy school to dispense drugs being part of that total store team I realized just filling prescriptions is not enough Lindholz subsequently moved out of pharmacy and into operations after enrolling in Krogers CINCINNATI As president of Kroger Health Colleen Lindholz is responsible for executing the health and wellness strategy she has forged for the nations largest supermarket operator It is an ambitious strategy that seeks nothing less than improving the health of the American people by leveraging all of the companys formidable assets grocery stores pharmacies walk in clinics dietitians and nutritionists to change the way Americans eat Krogers Food as Medicine strategy is the outgrowth of a vision that Lindholz had early in her career while leading one of management training program a move she describes as the best decision she ever made It really set the stage for being able to live the ultimate dream and that was to launch the Food as Medicine strategy and platform that we have for the company she says In 2015 Lindholz took another important step toward her current role when she was named president and chief executive officer of the Little Clinic which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kroger Two years later she added leadership of Krogers pharmacies to her portfolio Now leading a team of 22000 pharmacists nurse practitioners nutritionists and technicians working in Krogers network of nearly 2800 stores 2200 plus pharmacies and some 220 clinics Lindholz is focused on implementing the Food as Medicine strategy through the pursuit of defined goals One major initiative called 20x5 by 2025 is a companywide commitment to improve key areas of population health by 20 by the year 2025 By going after such key areas as obesity diabetes and food insecurity the initiative seeks to reduce overall health care costs by 58 billion five years from now In addition Kroger has set a goal of offering 15000 healthier SKUs by 2025 The retailer is calling on its partners among consumer packaged goods manufacturers and food processors to innovate and bring to market affordable better for you food Kroger was among the first national retailers to step up and offer to provide resources for COVID 19 testing It is now conducting tests in 14 states most recently at its Fred Meyer locations in Alaska where no other retailers are offering testing sites In addition to its drive through test sites Kroger collaborated with the Department of Health and Human Services to find a way to provide walk in tests to the underserved and homeless Its initial location in downtown Dallas has been replicated and is now being looked at as a blueprint for other similar sites across the country Looking beyond the COVID 19 crisis Lindholz sees health care at an inflection point Health care is becoming part of the everyday fabric of our lives she says Where we sit in the health care arena we can augment and complement primary care practitioners because we see people more often Health care increasingly is not just dispensing medications but taking care of people holistically And I believe at Kroger we can do it because weve got the food side and the health care side and were working very hard to bring that to life says Knowing and acknowledging people is important Anyone at any level can meet with me I try to be approachable so individuals will take advantage of that and I make a point of checking in on folks regardless of their position In a business of our size the CEO needs to be able to adapt I must be strategic while understanding the details in order to support the team Its up to them to keep me informed and they understand that I will ask questions in order to educate myself and be a better partner Lentzsch says she learned the value of honesty integrity and a SEATTLE Kathi Lentzsch is the fifth chief executive officer in the 130 year history of Bartell Drugs and just the second outside of the Bartell family to lead the company Lentzsch was recruited to join the regional chain in 2018 as the entrepreneurial leader best equipped to burnish the Bartells brand and expand its footprint in the Pacific Northwest The path to success starts with putting people first says Lentzsch Its our employees our customers and vendors who make the company successful Our priorities revolve around them she strong work ethic from her father Her first retail employer taught her what it meant to be a true partner with vendors the value of good design and how to have fun at work The principles have served Lentzsch over the course of a retail career that has spanned three decades including executive positions with Pier 1 Imports and Cost Plus World Market As senior vice president of merchandising at Williams Sonoma Pottery Barn Lentzsch led a turnaround and repositioning of Pottery Barn into a well known premium home brand She relocated to Seattle from San Francisco where she had been working as interim CEO of Gumps a specialty store and direct to consumer retailer Lentzsch also served as president and CEO for Elephant Pharmacy a Berkeley Calif based pharmacy that complemented Western medicine with alternative remedies patient education and health consultations Lentzsch says she has been leading with transparency since becoming a CEO in the early 2000s It takes frequent communication not being afraid to share the bad news along with the good news and understanding your audience she says As an example when the economy began to falter in 2008 I called the Elephant Pharmacy team together and told them exactly what was happening to the business I asked for ideas as to how we could cut back on expenses Together we all decided to take a cut in pay It was the teams idea and they wanted the company to succeed Thats what transparency can do for a business The coronavirus pandemic presents new challenges for Bartells as well as opportunities Lentzsch says The pandemic is intensifying the effort to add newness to the product assortment and to meet customer demands for deliveries that arrive quickly With COVID 19 changing the way we work with vendors we have to be even more intentional in our actions to find new product she says Its not as simple any longer as going to trade shows or meeting face to face with suppliers It takes a different kind of effort than in the past Kathi Lentzsch CEO Bartell Drugs Colleen Lindholz President Kroger Health Brenda Lord VP Store Brands and Quality Assurance CVS Health 46 MMR June 22 2020