CVS Caremark discusses growth at annual stockholders meeting

Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS Caremark held its annual meeting of stockholders at its headquarters on Thursday, and the tone attendees heard was a positive one.



According to president and CEO Larry Merlo, the company is well-positioned for growth in an evolving healthcare market.



Merlo made note in the meeting of Walgreens’ battle with Express Scripts, which has created opportunity for CVS to pick up significant prescription business.



Merlo said its key to success is leveraging its integration sweets spots — those products and services that are unique to CVS Caremark because of its integrated model — and emerging growth opportunities.



He discussed the company’s MinuteClinic business, which is an important piece of CVS’s integrated strategy, along with the ExtraCare loyalty program, the digital strategy, the store clustering initiative and the move toward differentiated store brands to fuel front-end growth.



The company, Merlo said, is executing successfully on its initiatives and is “positioned for strong growth in 2012 and beyond.”