Q & A: Mark Griffin, Lewis Drug

Drug Store News,  May 20, 2002  

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With four months as chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores already under his belt, Mark Griffin has a head start on helping the association set a course for what promises to be an exciting 2002-2003 industry year. Griffin, president and chief executive officer of Lewis Drug, shared his outlook for the industry with Drug Store News earlier this month at the 2002 Annual Meeting.

Drug Store News: How do you evaluate this year's NACDS Annual Meeting?

Griffin: The Annual Meeting has been able to provide a feeling of togetherness that I have not witnessed at prior meetings. A lot of that is fostered by the 9/11 incident, and I think it goes across the lines of society. There's an openness and an expectation of trust that is unparalleled. There's a feeling that we all need each other.

Drug Store News: How do you think NACDS handled the pharmacy benefit card issue over the past year?

Griffin: When the Bush administration launched its 'PBM' card, after meeting in closed doors without consulting other industry players, that was a mistake. We are still working with the administration and people within the administration to right that wrong. In the meantime, I think NACDS should be given a lot of credit for driving the card issue to the public sector and forcing the administration to view the issue more openly. It's not a PBM issue, it's an industry issue and all levels of the industry should share in the development of a pharmacy benefit.

Drug Store News: As chairman, what would you like to see the industry focus on this year?

Griffin: There are organizational issues and there are issues as chairman that I would like to address. From a chairman's perspective, obviously, addressing the pharmacy benefit card is one key, as are establishing electronic connectivity between doctors and pharmacies and addressing the pharmacists shortage.

Drug Store News: Can NACDS play any kind of role in helping regional chains get more recognition from manufacturers, especially the large suppliers?

Griffin: NACDS is definitely going to play a role in this. I have talked to top-level representatives of a few major suppliers who have said they realize that the multibillion companies are important to the industry and their business, but they also realize that there is an untapped resource of regional retailers that they could spend more time with. And they realize that the regionals, because of their flexibility, have as good a chance of communicating the results of their programs in an efficient way as some of the multibillion dollar chains.

Drug Store News: How do you--as a retailer with a broad assortment of categories--see the economic climate changing through the balance of the year?

Griffin: I think the stock market, barring what has happened in terms of business credibility issues at Enron, Arthur Andersen and some other companies, would be well on its way to success right now. And I think there's pent-up demand for a release of that energy in the market. The market is really the only thing that's holding back the economy right now.

Drug Store News: Should we expect NACDS to continue fine-tuning its meeting formats, along the lines of the changes made this year at Annual Meeting?

Griffin: Marketplace is such a huge venue for the industry, and has been so successful. There is no other merchandising and buying conference that brings to the table the interaction, the one-on-one communication and breadth of product as Marketplace. But NACDS is not opposed to change. When the industry tells us it wants to make some changes in terms of timing or presentation--as happened at the Annual Meeting--we will listen. We are flexible as an organization and we will listen to the membership.

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