Genovese Drug Stores
Genovese Drug Stores was a pharmacy chain located in the New York City-Long Island area of the United States, including northern New Jersey, along with Fairfield County, Connecticut and Hartford County, Connecticut. It was acquired by Eckerd in 1998.
 | |
| Industry | Pharmacy |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired by Eckerd |
| Founded | 1924 |
| Defunct | 1998 (sold); 2003 (name changed) |
| Headquarters | Melville, New York |
| Products | Pharmacy, Cosmetics, Health and Beauty Aids, General Merchandise, Snacks |
Genovese was founded in 1924 by Joseph Genovese, in Astoria, Queens.[1] By 1978, when Genovese died, the chain had grown to 50 locations.[2]
It opened its first Manhattan location in 1993.[3]
At time of its sale in 1998 to JCPenney, the still family-controlled chain was headquartered in Melville, New York and had 141 stores and 5,000 employees.[1] Five years after the acquisition, the Genovese name ceased to exist when all the remaining stores were rebranded as Eckerd.[4] The former Genovese stores that have remained open currently do business as Rite Aid, who bought Eckerd's eastern U.S. operations in 2007 (these locations are distinguishable as having blue signs instead of red signs). One Rite Aid store in Astoria is now a CVS/pharmacy.
Genovese Drug Stores had no connection to the Genovese crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the city's Mafia.
References
- Terry Pristin (November 25, 1998). "J.C. Penney to Buy Genovese, Expanding Its Drugstore Chain". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- "Joseph Genovese, Head Of Drugstore Chain, 75". The New York Times. November 28, 1978. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- Claudia H. Deutsch (December 25, 1994). "Commercial Property/Chain Drugstores; Drugstore Chains Turn to Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- Matt Donnelly (July 16, 2003). "Genovese Drug Stores Take on Eckerd Name". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2009.