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The first London Drugs store with human-centred design opens at The Amazing Brentwood in British Columbia.
BURNABY, B.C. | May 7, 2025 – London Drugs is reimagining the future of retail with the opening of its first store designed with a bold vision grounded in human-centered design thinking. Located at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby, B.C., this 20,000-square-foot flagship represents a first-of-its-kind concept store for the brand, prioritizing wellness and sustainability.
On May 9, 2025, London Drugs officially launches its new concept store, inviting the community to experience a refreshed and reimagined customer experience. In 2021, London Drugs partnered with Montreal-based interior architecture firm Rümker to create a vision capturing the 2035 retail experience, resulting in the conceptualization of this new project.
“At London Drugs, we are inspired to create the best possible experience for our customers, driven by our desire to anticipate their needs before they discover the existence of those needs,” said Clint Mahlman, London Drugs’ president and COO. “Through this project, we are showcasing our flexibility as a retailer to move with the evolving needs of our customers and adapt to provide a retail environment rooted in sustainability and wellness.”
A Future-Forward Sustainable Customer Experience
The new location features an open-concept, seamless-flow design informed by four key principles: assistance, personalization, community, and discovery. An in-store wellness centre welcomes enhanced pharmacy consultation rooms for customer care, a beauty department with an emphasis on dermatology and sustainable choices, and an easy-to-navigate area for product and packaging recycling.
A partnership with SC Johnson, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products, is further supporting sustainability in the shopping experience with the arrival of a refill station where customers can replenish reusable product pouches with hand soap or dish soap by brands including Method and Mrs. Meyer’s and collectively work towards reducing plastics in retail by up to 93%.
“As London Drugs celebrates its 80th year in business in 2025, it is an honour for us to introduce more sustainable solutions for customers in our stores. The continued support from customers across Canada is enabling us to do this, and we welcome everyone to experience the retail store of tomorrow at our Burnaby location,” said Mahlman.
Quotes:
Justin Dubé-Fahmy, president and founder, Rümker –
“This initiative is more than a redesign — it is a repositioning that expresses London Drugs’ commitment to a user-centered experience,” said Justin Dubé-Fahmy, president and founder of Rümker. “We explored and tested dozens of concepts and validated them with real users. Every aspect of the new shopping experience has been designed to feel intuitive, personal, and human. We are particularly proud of the “Believe in Better” section, which anchors the space in the brand’s vision for a more sustainable future.”
Fisk Johnson, chairman, SC Johnson –
“The environmental benefits of refilling and reusing containers in terms of both carbon and plastic reduction are unparalleled,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “We’ve worked closely with our partners at London Drugs to make the method® and Mrs. Meyers Clean Day® refill machines as convenient as possible for people, which is key to the success of refill/reuse systems. We think it is incumbent on all of us to innovate refill/reuse opportunities and push for regulatory measures to help with adoption of these systems.”
Chris Chiew, vice president pharmacy & healthcare, London Drugs –
“Providing the highest standard of personalized care to customers is at the heart of London Drugs, and our reenvisioned pharmacy enables our pharmacists to continue supporting the healthcare needs of the community into the future.”
Kevin Sorby, general manager retail operations, London Drugs –
“Enhancing and refining the retail experience for customers is a process that is always ongoing, and at London Drugs, we are operating with the future front and centre to ensure our stores and teams are adapting to support the diverse needs of the surrounding communities.”
For more information about London Drugs, visit londondrugs.com.
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About London Drugs
Founded in 1945, B.C.-based London Drugs sells throughout Canada through its online store, www.londondrugs.com and has 80 London Drugs locations in more than 35 major markets across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. London Drugs offers customers a range of products from digital cameras and cosmetics to computers and televisions. Renowned for its creative approach to retailing, the company employs more than 9,000 people with pharmacy and healthcare services at the heart of its business. Committed to innovation and superior customer service, London Drugs has established itself as a reputable and caring Canadian company that supports Canadian brands and continues to position itself for future growth and development.
About the Project
This is a multi-year human-centered design project pioneered by London Drugs, targeted at reimagining the retail experience to meet the dynamic and evolving needs of customers. This initiative includes the roll-out of a refreshed vision for retail and in-store design, with enhancements for all store departments and a focus on wellness and sustainability. The first London Drugs location to open under the project in May 2025 is at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Social Media:
Facebook: /LondonDrugs
Twitter: @LondonDrugs
Instagram: @LondonDrugs
