INDUSTRY NEWS
Beacon Opens Practice in Texas Walmart Supercenter Shoppers who frequent the Walmart Supercenter in Carrollton, Texas, have a new way to access mental health care. The store’s Walmart Care Clinic area now houses the first Beacon Care Services practice — an offshoot of Boston-based behavioral health company Beacon Health Options that is aimed at making outpatient mental health therapy more accessible. The Beacon Care Services practice currently is staffed by a single therapist, who is available on a walk-in or appointment basis, according to its website. Beacon
noted that more than 10.1 million Texans live in an area considered to have a shortage of mental healthcare professionals. “This initiative combines our company’s behavioral health expertise with our long-standing dedication to making quality care more accessible,” said Russell Petrella, Beacon Health Options president and CEO. “We chose a retail setting for the first practice because it offers the convenience of a local neighborhood location that is close by and easy to get to, and our evening hours accommodate our patients’ schedules. Our online appointment scheduling system makes it easy for people to plan their visits ahead of time to fit into their busy lifestyles.” Beacon said it is evaluating further locations for future practices that will expand patient access to behavioral health services.
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December 2018 DRUGSTORENEWS.COM
CoverGirl Debuts Times Square Flagship Store Beauty brand CoverGirl made a splash on Black Friday with the opening of its first permanent retail store in Times Square. The store opened with the goals of embodying the brand’s “I Am What I Make Up” philosophy and providing an experiential beauty shopping destination, CoverGirl said. The store, located at 7th Ave. and 49th St., includes two levels of offerings focused on virtual and real-life opportunities to try on and experiment with CoverGirl products. It also features a virtual greeter named Olivia, powered by Google’s Dialogflow platform, as well as augmented reality “glam stations” powered by Holition. The glam stations offer the ability to virtually try on lipstick and eyeshadow, as well as blushes, mascara and foundation, to create a look that can be digitally shared. Besides its digital offerings, the flagship includes a customization station for lipstick and makeup personalization, and makeup application from CoverGirl BFFs, who will dispense tips and product recommendations. “The CoverGirl flagship represents this incredible moment in beauty, where rich experiences matter most and where true self-expression and experimentation are the only beauty standards,” said Ukonwa Ojo, Coty consumer beauty chief marketing officer.