CVS Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy is an American pharmacy retailer and currently stands as the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States, with more than 9,500 stores, and is the second largest US pharmacy based on total prescription revenue. As the retail pharmacy division of CVS Health, it ranks as the 12th largest company in the world according to Fortune 500 in 2014. CVS Pharmacy’s leading competitor Walgreens ranked 37th.

CVS sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through their CVS Pharmacy and Longs Drug retail stores and online through CVS.com. It also provides healthcare services through its more than 1,100 MinuteClinic medical clinics as well as their Diabetes Care Centers. Most of these clinics are located within CVS stores.

CVS is incorporated in Delaware, and is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. As of 2008, CVS Caremark was the largest for-profit employer in Rhode Island. It was founded on Merrimack Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1963, under the name Consumer Value Store. It was founded by Sid Goldstein, Stanley Goldstein, and Ralph Hoagland, as a discount health and beauty aid store. The first customers were required to bag their own purchases.