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Value Drug Mart changing hands to become second Shoppers Drug Mart in Sylvan Lake

It will be a case of one door closing and another one opening when Value Drug Mart changes hands to become

It will be a case of one door closing and another one opening when Value Drug Mart changes hands to become the town’s second Shoppers Drug Mart location on March 10.

The existing Shoppers Drug Mart will continue to operate at its Ryders Square location. Having a second location at the Value Drug Mart’s current downtown location will allow greater flexibility for customers, said Todd Prochnau, Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist and owner.

“You typically don’t see two Shoppers in a community that has less than 15,000 people, but Sylvan Lake is unique, and it makes sense for us to have both locations,” he said. “They’re quite different, and we’re excited about going into downtown.”

Prochnau said meetings with Value Drug Mart staff were to begin Friday (Feb. 20) in fulfilling Shoppers Drug Mart’s commitment to offering employment to every one of Value Drug Mart’s current staff.

Prochnau is aiming for the smoothest transition possible, and emphasizes that the Value Drug Mart location will not be closing, as some have feared.

“We’re not rolling it into our other store or anything like that — they’re both going to operate separately,” he said. “People that are currently patients of that pharmacy can continue to see that pharmacy. It’s going to be the same pharmacists, it’s simply going to be a new company name.

“We want people to know that they don’t have to worry about where they’re going to get their prescriptions or anything, because it’s exactly the same spot.”

Prochnau said not all changes to the store will happen at once, and assured it will begin to look more like a Shoppers Drug Mart once new fixtures are installed and products brought in.

Like the Shoppers Drug Mart in Ryders Square, the new location will offer a selection of food products.

“It’s going to be similar to what we’ve got at our other location,” said Prochnau. “It’s not going to be exactly the same, but I think it will help serve that side of town a little bit with that.”