Dive Brief:
- As more retailers seek healthcare customers, The Vitamin Shoppe is introducing a telehealth service called Whole Health Rx by The Vitamin Shoppe, the nutritional products retailer announced Wednesday.
- Using the service, the retailer will pair customers with licensed medical providers to determine — based on their medical history, questionnaire responses and goals — whether to approve customers for medications. To start, the company is offering weight management drugs, including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Rybelsus, according to the announcement.
- Monthly medication subscriptions start at $219 with introductory pricing and $269 at regular price, with no insurance required, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Taking a page from drugstore pharmacists, other retail giants are providing healthcare services in addition to their retail businesses.
Last November, Best Buy entered an agreement with Mass General Brigham, a Boston-based nonprofit healthcare provider, to collaborate on home care products and programs, a move it made after signing similar deals with Geisinger and Atrium Health that same year.
Amazon has also delved deeper into healthcare in recent years. In January 2023, the e-commerce behemoth enhanced its Prime membership with a discounted prescription program, RxPass. Earlier this year, the company debuted a program to help customers connect with services for chronic conditions.
Beyond prescribing weight loss medications, The Vitamin Shoppe is also promoting its protein, probiotic and fiber supplements to support weight loss while still providing key nutrients.
“Whole Health Rx by The Vitamin Shoppe is a meaningful evolution in our company’s mission to consistently and comprehensively support the health needs of our customers,” Lee Wright, CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe, said in a statement. “As we continue to enhance The Vitamin Shoppe’s position as the leading destination for lifelong wellness, Whole Health Rx will expand to meet other health needs beyond weight management.”
However, as retailers venture further into health, some have had to restructure or shutter those operations entirely. Last month, Walmart said it planned to shut down all 51 of its medical centers as well as its virtual healthcare service, because it could not make a profit in the sector. Meanwhile, after buying One Medical for $3.9 billion in February 2023, Amazon closed multiple One Medical offices a year later in New York City, Minneapolis and St. Petersburg, Florida, to reduce costs.
