Kinney Drugs expands its Buy Local program

GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. — Kinney Drugs today announced it is partnering with more local vendors and producers to expand its “Buy Local” program.

The initiative gives Kinney customers an “increased opportunity” to support their local economies, the retailer said in a news release.

Kinney’s program makes various regional products available on a store-by-store basis. They include maple syrup, dairy products, craft beer, and baked goods, in addition to manufactured consumer products, the company said.

“Our own communities produce an incredible assortment of quality products that may not have a lot of visibility,” Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drugs stores, said in the release. “As a local, employee-owned business, we’re excited to help other local businesses gain exposure and grow by opening them up to a new customer base.”

Kinney Drugs cited information from a recent survey that Eugene, Ore.–based King Retail Solutions conducted that indicated more than 75 percent of shoppers bought groceries from non-grocers in 2013.

Of those shoppers, 30 percent said they purchased groceries from a pharmacy, emphasizing a “change” in the retail industry and shoppers’ preference for convenience, Kinney Drugs said.

Kinney Drugs is headquartered in Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County.

It is the drug-store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., a pharmacy health-care company that provides pharmacy, health, and retail services

Founded in 1903 by Burt Orrin Kinney, Kinney Drugs now operates 100 drug stores in Central and Northern New York and Vermont, along with a distribution center, according to its news release  

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com