Rite Aid has set a special stockholders meeting for August 9 to vote on a proposal to approve its merger with Albertsons, even as some investors are trying to stop the deal.
Rite Aid has repeatedly stated that the deal is in the best interest of its shareholders. However, some investors have been upset that senior Rite Aid executives will be paid retention bonuses even if the deal falls through. Others expressed frustration that Rite Aid isn’t getting a higher price, especially as pharmacy managers are an acquisition target and shareholders see value in Rite Aid’s pharmacy benefit management company, EnvisionRXOptions, which has been growing rapidly.
The combination of Albertsons and Rite Aid, which operates RediClinic, would create a company with 319 retail health clinics and 4,345 pharmacies. Rite Aid executives expect the combined company to have a differentiated brand in the U.S. that combines “food, health and wellness.”