Rexall
A Canadian retail pharmacy chain offering prescription medicines, health and beauty products, convenience goods, and private-label merchandise.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Rexall is a Canadian retail pharmacy brand operated through Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC. Its stores combine prescription dispensing and pharmacist services with over-the-counter medicines, personal care products, beauty items, household goods, convenience merchandise, and selected private-label products. The brand is associated with the long history of the Rexall name in North American pharmacy retail, but the subject of this entry is the Canadian chain rather than the historical United States Rexall businesses or unrelated companies using the same name. The Canadian operation traces its roots to 1904, during the expansion of the United Drug Company and the early development of organized pharmacy chains. Another important Canadian predecessor was Tamblyn Drugs, a Toronto-based chain that later operated under the Pharma Plus name. Rexall and Pharma Plus ultimately became part of the same Canadian pharmacy group, giving the business a portfolio of banners with overlapping retail and pharmacy functions. For many years, the two names reflected different parts of the group's store network and regional history. The company was acquired by the Katz Group of Companies before being sold to McKesson Canada in December 2016. The transaction placed Rexall within McKesson's Canadian pharmacy and healthcare distribution environment and made the chain one of the country's principal national pharmacy retailers. At the time of the transaction, public descriptions characterized Rexall as having nearly 400 pharmacies and approximately 8,000 employees. The chain competed most directly with other Canadian pharmacy retailers, particularly Shoppers Drug Mart, while also facing competition from independent pharmacies, grocery-based pharmacies, mass merchants, and online providers. In 2018, Rexall announced that the Pharma Plus banner would be retired. Stores operating under that name were to be converted to Rexall, creating a more consistent national identity and simplifying the customer-facing portfolio. The change represented a brand-consolidation strategy rather than the creation of a new retail format. It strengthened the visibility of Rexall across the existing store network and reduced the complexity associated with maintaining multiple pharmacy banners. Customer loyalty was another significant part of the brand's development. Rexall previously participated in the Air Miles program, allowing customers to earn loyalty rewards through purchases. In May 2020, the company ended that arrangement and introduced Be Well, its own loyalty program. Be Well was designed to allow customers to accumulate points and redeem them for merchandise or other in-store benefits, while also giving Rexall a proprietary customer relationship and rewards platform. In January 2024, reporting indicated that McKesson was considering strategic alternatives for Rexall, including a possible sale. On September 5, 2024, Birch Hill Equity Partners announced a definitive agreement to acquire Rexall Pharmacy Group from McKesson Corporation. The purchase was completed on December 20, 2024. Rexall therefore continued as an active Canadian pharmacy brand under new private-equity ownership. Its core proposition remains a combination of accessible community pharmacy services, health and wellness products, everyday convenience, and a recognizable national retail identity.
History
Rexall's Canadian history reaches back to 1904, when the Rexall name emerged during the early development of the United Drug Company and organized pharmacy retail. The brand grew within a broader period of consolidation in North American drug retail, as pharmacies increasingly combined professional dispensing services with standardized stores, packaged medicines, personal care products, and household merchandise. The Canadian pharmacy sector also developed through regional chains. In Toronto, Tamblyn Drugs established a separate retail presence and later became associated with the Pharma Plus banner. Rexall and Pharma Plus eventually came together within the same Canadian pharmacy group. This structure allowed the business to operate under more than one recognizable name while serving different regions and store histories. Over time, the combined network became one of Canada's notable pharmacy retailers, with community stores supported by centralized merchandising, pharmacy operations, and loyalty initiatives. A major ownership change occurred in December 2016, when McKesson Canada purchased Rexall from the Katz Group of Companies. The acquisition connected Rexall with McKesson's broader Canadian healthcare and pharmaceutical distribution activities. Contemporary descriptions of the chain cited nearly 400 pharmacies and around 8,000 employees. The business operated in a competitive market that included Shoppers Drug Mart, independent pharmacies, grocery-store pharmacies, mass retailers, and other healthcare and convenience channels. The next major change was a simplification of the store portfolio. In 2018, Rexall president Beth Newlands Campbell announced that Pharma Plus would be discontinued as a customer-facing banner. Stores using the Pharma Plus name were to be converted to Rexall. The decision sought to make the network more visually and commercially consistent, concentrate investment behind one national brand, and reduce the fragmentation created by multiple banners. Rexall also changed its approach to customer loyalty. The chain had participated in Air Miles, a multi-retailer rewards program. In May 2020, it ended that partnership and launched Be Well as its own loyalty program. The proprietary program gave Rexall greater control over its rewards proposition and allowed customers to collect points for later redemption on eligible in-store purchases or benefits. The change formed part of the company's effort to maintain a direct relationship with shoppers while continuing to compete on convenience and value. Ownership again became a central issue in 2024. In January, The Globe and Mail reported that McKesson was considering a sale of Rexall. On September 5, Birch Hill Equity Partners announced a definitive agreement to purchase Rexall Pharmacy Group from McKesson Corporation. The transaction closed on December 20, 2024. Rexall consequently remained an active Canadian pharmacy chain, but moved from McKesson ownership to ownership associated with Birch Hill Equity Partners. Across these transitions, the brand's essential role has remained stable: Rexall provides prescription pharmacy services and a broad assortment of health, beauty, personal care, convenience, and private-label products through a Canadian store network. Its history is defined by the layering of legacy pharmacy banners, consolidation under a single identity, changes in ownership, and continued adaptation of loyalty and retail programs.
- 2024
Ownership transferred to Birch Hill Equity Partners
[1]Birch Hill announced an agreement to acquire Rexall in September, and completed the purchase in December.
- 2020
Be Well launched
[1]Rexall ended its Air Miles partnership and introduced its own loyalty program, Be Well.
- 2018
Pharma Plus conversion announced
[1]Rexall announced that Pharma Plus stores would be converted to the Rexall banner.
- 2016
Acquisition by McKesson Canada
[1]McKesson Canada acquired Rexall from the Katz Group of Companies in December.
- 1904
Rexall's Canadian roots begin
[1]The Rexall name is traced to the early development of the United Drug Company and organized pharmacy retail.
Products and positioning
A trusted, convenient Canadian community pharmacy and health-and-wellness retailer.
Pharmacy services
Prescription pharmacy services
Rexall's core offering is community pharmacy service, including prescription dispensing and pharmacist support. These services anchor the store network and distinguish the brand from general convenience or beauty retailers.
Health products
Over-the-counter medicines
Stores carry non-prescription medicines and related health products for common everyday needs. The category complements prescription services and supports Rexall's positioning as a convenient health and wellness destination.
Health and wellness
Health and wellness products
Rexall offers a broad range of health-oriented merchandise, including wellness products and personal healthcare items. The assortment extends the brand beyond dispensing into routine self-care and preventative health needs.
Beauty and personal care
Beauty and personal care
Beauty, grooming, and personal care products form an important front-of-store category. These products increase shopping frequency and reinforce the pharmacy's role as a general health, hygiene, and self-care retailer.
Private label
Private-label products
Rexall also sells merchandise under private-label or store-brand arrangements. Such products broaden the assortment and provide an own-brand option alongside national health, beauty, household, and convenience brands.
Loyalty program · 2020
Be Well
Be Well is Rexall's proprietary loyalty program, introduced in 2020 after the chain ended its participation in Air Miles. Customers can collect points and redeem them through the program's available retail benefits.
Brand decisions
2024
Sale of Rexall to Birch Hill Equity PartnersM&ABackground
McKesson began exploring strategic alternatives for Rexall, including a possible sale, after owning the Canadian chain since 2016.
Action taken
Birch Hill Equity Partners signed a definitive acquisition agreement in September 2024 and completed the purchase on December 20, 2024.
Aftermath
Rexall remained an active Canadian pharmacy brand under new ownership associated with Birch Hill Equity Partners.
2020
Replacement of Air Miles with Be WellStrategyBackground
Rexall had previously used Air Miles as its customer loyalty program, linking store purchases to a broader multi-retailer rewards ecosystem.
Action taken
In May 2020, Rexall ended the Air Miles relationship and launched its own Be Well loyalty program.
Aftermath
Rexall gained a proprietary rewards platform through which customers could collect points and redeem them for in-store benefits.
2018
Consolidation of the Pharma Plus bannerStrategyBackground
Rexall operated with a store network that included both the Rexall and Pharma Plus identities. Management sought a more consistent customer-facing presence across the chain.
Action taken
The company announced that Pharma Plus would be discontinued and that stores using the banner would be converted to Rexall.
Aftermath
The decision concentrated the Canadian store network under the Rexall name and simplified the brand portfolio.
Recent events
- 2024
McKesson explored a possible sale of Rexall[1]
M&A
The Globe and Mail reported in January 2024 that McKesson had begun exploring the possibility of selling Rexall to potential buyers.
- 2024
Birch Hill Equity Partners agreed to acquire Rexall[1]
M&A
Birch Hill Equity Partners announced on September 5, 2024, that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rexall Pharmacy Group from McKesson Corporation.
- 2024
Birch Hill completed its purchase of Rexall[1]
M&A
The acquisition of Rexall Pharmacy Group by Birch Hill Equity Partners was completed on December 20, 2024.
- 2020
Rexall ended its Air Miles relationship and launched Be Well[1]
Product launch
In May 2020, Rexall discontinued Air Miles as its store loyalty program and introduced Be Well, a proprietary points and rewards program.
- 2018
Rexall announced the retirement of the Pharma Plus banner[1]
Other
Rexall president Beth Newlands Campbell announced that Pharma Plus stores would be converted to the Rexall banner to create a more consistent chain-wide identity.
- 2016
McKesson Canada acquired Rexall from the Katz Group[1]
M&A
McKesson Canada purchased Rexall in December 2016, bringing the Canadian pharmacy chain into McKesson's healthcare distribution and pharmacy operations.
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