How Multilocation Independent Pharmacy Owners Are Adapting and Growing

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Kristen Riddle, PharmD, 2025-2026 president of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and independent pharmacy owner in Arkansas, shared key highlights from NCPA's Multiple Locations Conference—an event she described as a premier business opportunity for pharmacy owners operating or looking to expand across multiple sites.

Riddle emphasized that the conference's core value lies in peer connection: bringing together owners to share experiences, problem-solve, and build relationships they can rely on as their businesses grow. For pharmacists considering expansion from a single location to multiple sites, she noted that the network and resources built at the conference are among the most critical assets an owner can take away.

On revenue diversification, Riddle highlighted that owners are increasingly looking beyond traditional dispensing, like exploring clinical services, supplements, long-term care at home, and smarter purchasing strategies to offset ongoing direct and indirect remuneration fees and reimbursement pressures. One development that generated particular excitement among attendees was the availability of OTC continuous glucose monitoring, which Riddle noted captured widespread interest as a new community-based revenue and care opportunity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) also emerged as one of the most talked-about topics at the conference, generating enthusiasm on the exhibit floor and in formal programming sessions. Riddle noted that AI's potential applications for multilocation operations resonated strongly with attendees across all experience levels.

From a policy standpoint, Riddle highlighted a significant legislative milestone: the first pharmacy benefit manager reform signed into law in over 20 years, reflecting NCPA's sustained advocacy efforts on behalf of independent pharmacies and their patients nationwide.

She closed by inviting pharmacists to attend next year's Multiple Locations Conference, set for February 17 to 20 in Clearwater Beach, Florida—calling it "the hidden gem of pharmacy conferences."