Navarro Discount Pharmacies

Navarro Discount Pharmacies is an American discount pharmacy chain, pharmacy-services business, photo-service provider, and pharmacy benefit manager headquartered in Miami, Florida. The company is primarily associated with Miami-Dade and Broward counties and operates as a separate brand and business within CVS Health. Its stores sell prescription and over-the-counter medicines, health and wellness products, beauty and personal-care merchandise, and convenience items, while also providing pharmacy and related consumer services. The business was founded in 1940 by José Navarro Sr. in Havana, Cuba. Its first shop was located on Monte Street and developed a substantial customer base, including workers from Cuba's power company. The family later opened a second Havana location. Following the political changes in Cuba in 1961, the government confiscated the Navarro stores, and the Navarro family relocated to the United States. After arriving in Miami, José Navarro Sr. used approximately $4,000 from an insurance policy to establish a new pharmacy at Southwest Eighth Street and Fifteenth Avenue, across from the Tower Movie Theatre. The business subsequently moved to Thirteenth Avenue in the area that became closely identified with Miami's Little Havana. This Miami history helped shape Navarro's local identity and its reputation as a neighborhood pharmacy serving Cuban-American and broader Hispanic communities. In 2007, control of the company was transferred by the founding family to MBF Healthcare Partners. That year Navarro also reached an agreement to combine operations with Sedano's Pharmacy. The combined operation was reported to comprise 31 stores, although later references described the chain as having 28 locations. Navarro continued to operate under its own name rather than being absorbed into a national drugstore banner. CVS acquired Navarro in September 2014 and announced that it would retain the Navarro name and operate the chain separately. The acquisition placed a strongly regional, culturally targeted pharmacy business inside one of the largest healthcare and pharmacy organizations in the United States, while preserving Navarro's local branding and operating identity. Navarro's competitive proposition is based on discount pharmacy pricing, neighborhood accessibility, a broad mix of medicines and consumer goods, and cultural familiarity in South Florida. Reference material describes the chain as having a 17 percent market share in South Florida, ahead of Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy, as well as more than 2,000 employees and annual sales exceeding $350 million; these figures are associated with the Wikipedia reference and do not have a separately dated company filing in the supplied materials. The same reference characterizes Navarro as a leading operator by sales per store, sales per square foot, and prescriptions filled per store. Store counts and operating metrics may change over time, so the current scale should be verified against an official CVS or Navarro source.

Navarro Discount Pharmacies traces its origins to Havana, Cuba, where José Navarro Sr. established the first Navarro pharmacy in 1940. The original store was located on Monte Street and attracted a broad local clientele, including employees of Cuba's power company. After the business gained traction, the family opened a second location. The company's Cuban operations ended after the political transformation of 1961, when the government confiscated the Navarro stores. The Navarro family left Cuba for the United States and rebuilt the business in Miami. José Navarro Sr. reportedly used approximately $4,000 obtained from an insurance policy to open a pharmacy at Southwest Eighth Street and Fifteenth Avenue, opposite the Tower Movie Theatre. The business later moved to Thirteenth Avenue, in the area that became Miami's Little Havana. The Miami stores developed a particularly strong connection with Cuban-American and Spanish-speaking customers, helping establish Navarro as a distinctive regional pharmacy rather than a generic national drugstore. Navarro expanded through the following decades while remaining concentrated in South Florida. In 2007, the founding family transferred control to MBF Healthcare Partners. Navarro also entered an agreement to combine its operations with Sedano's Pharmacy during the same period. The combined business was described as having 31 stores operating under the Navarro name, while later references reported 28 stores. The company continued to emphasize pharmacy retail, discount merchandise, health products, beauty products, and related services. In September 2014, CVS acquired Navarro Discount Pharmacies. CVS announced that Navarro would retain its name and continue as a separate brand and business. This structure allowed CVS to add Navarro's regional presence and culturally specific customer proposition without replacing the brand with CVS/pharmacy. Navarro therefore remained identified with Miami and South Florida even after joining a national healthcare company. The business has also been described as providing photo services and pharmacy benefit management in addition to conventional prescription dispensing. Its retail model combines pharmacy services with a broad assortment of consumer products, using discount positioning and high-volume neighborhood locations. Reference material characterizes Navarro as a leading South Florida pharmacy operator by sales per store, sales per square foot, and prescriptions filled per store, and reports a 17 percent regional market share and more than 2,000 employees. Those operating figures are not independently dated in the supplied materials and should not be treated as a current company disclosure without further verification.

• 2014

  CVS acquires Navarro

  [1]Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org

  CVS acquired Navarro and retained the chain as a separate brand and business.

• 2007

  Ownership passes to MBF Healthcare Partners

  [1]Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org

  The founding family transferred control of Navarro to MBF Healthcare Partners.

• 2007

  Operations combine with Sedano's Pharmacy

  [1]Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org

  Navarro agreed to combine operations with Sedano's Pharmacy, creating a larger network operated under the Navarro name.

• 1961

  Navarro family relocates to the United States

  [1]Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org

  Following the confiscation of the family's Cuban stores after Cuba's political change, the Navarro family moved to the United States.

• 1940

  First Navarro pharmacy opens in Havana

  [1]Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org

  José Navarro Sr. founded the first Navarro Discount Pharmacies location on Monte Street in Havana, Cuba.

A value-oriented, community-based pharmacy retailer with a strong South Florida and Hispanic-market identity.

• Pharmacy services

  Prescription pharmacy services

  Navarro's core business is dispensing prescription medicines through neighborhood pharmacies. Its local-store model is oriented toward repeat prescriptions, community access, and service for South Florida customers. The supplied reference does not identify particular prescription programs or proprietary clinical services.

• Consumer health

  Over-the-counter medicines and health products

  Navarro stores carry nonprescription medicines and general health merchandise alongside prescription services. These products support the chain's discount-pharmacy proposition and allow customers to purchase routine health items in the same locations used for prescriptions.

• Beauty retail

  Beauty and personal-care products

  Beauty and personal-care merchandise forms an important part of Navarro's front-of-store retail assortment. The supplied material identifies beauty products as a typical category but does not provide a complete brand list or details of exclusive ranges.

• Retail services

  Photo services

  Navarro has been described as operating a photo-service business in addition to its pharmacy and retail activities. The available reference does not specify the exact service format, technology, or current availability by store.

• Healthcare administration

  Pharmacy benefit management

  The company has also been characterized as a pharmacy benefit manager. The supplied source does not provide enough information to describe the scope, clients, or current organizational structure of this activity.

• 2014

  CVS acquires Navarro while retaining its separate brandM&A

  Background

  CVS sought to acquire Navarro's South Florida presence and regional customer franchise.

  Action taken

  CVS acquired Navarro Discount Pharmacies and stated that the Navarro name and separate operating identity would be preserved.

  Aftermath

  Navarro became a separate brand and business within CVS Health rather than being immediately converted to the CVS/pharmacy format.

  Source

• 2007

  Combine operations with Sedano's PharmacyM&A

  Background

  Navarro sought to expand its regional pharmacy footprint while maintaining a single customer-facing brand.

  Action taken

  The company entered an agreement to combine operations with Sedano's Pharmacy, with the resulting stores operating under the Navarro name.

  Aftermath

  Reference material described the combined operation as comprising 31 stores, although later material cited a 28-store network.

  Source

1. 1Navarro Discount Pharmaciesen.wikipedia.org