F&M (drug stores)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmacy, Retail |
| Founded | 1977 in Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Defunct | 2003 (corporate-owned stores shut down) |
| Fate | Filed for bankruptcy in 2001; corporate stores closed in 2003; some franchised stores remain independently operated |
| Headquarters | Columbus , United States |
Area served | United States (nationwide at peak) |
| Products | Pharmacy services, health food products (in surviving stores) |
Overview
Drug Emporium was a discount drugstore chain established in 1977 in Columbus, Ohio. During the period from 2000 to 2001, ownership of the company changed hands multiple times. While some stores still operate under the Drug Emporium name today, they are no longer connected to the original Columbus-based business. At its peak in the 1990s, Drug Emporium operated nearly 300 outlets nationwide, including locations under the F&M and VIX brand names.
In April 2001, the corporation filed for bankruptcy as part of its acquisition by Snyder Drug based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The primary reasons cited for the company's decline include its inability to successfully compete against major pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS Corporation. Furthermore, considerable resources were invested in trying to integrate their physical stores with an online platform, DrugEmporium.com, which was intended to represent the company's future direction. This "click and mortar" strategy, common during the late 1990s dot-com era, ultimately failed to take hold and instead exacerbated financial difficulties.
Following bankruptcy, many franchised outlets in Texas and West Virginia, along with company-owned locations in California, were sold to independent operators. A single store in Lafayette, Louisiana also transitioned to private ownership. On September 12, 2003, Snyder Drug shut down all remaining corporate-owned stores across several states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Wisconsin due to ongoing financial losses and to avoid further insolvency. Despite its origins in Columbus, Ohio, no stores remain there today. Snyder Drug itself was owned by the Canadian-based Katz Group from Edmonton, Alberta until its acquisition by Walgreens in 2010.
Currently, a former franchisee manages the surviving Drug Emporium locations. Gibson Sales, L.P., located in Longview, Texas, operates nine stores spread across central and northern Texas markets as well as in Lafayette and Shreveport, Louisiana, and Little Rock, Arkansas. These revamped Drug Emporium stores now incorporate a dedicated health food store section within each outlet.
Since 2003, advertisements for Drug Emporium have featured a dancing bear set to "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was). Additionally, The Recording Workshop – RECW continues to utilize a vintage commercial from the 1980s for educational purposes in its sound-for-picture courses. Students are tasked with adding multiple sound effects and performing voiceover work on this classic ad.
In August 2019, the Drug Emporium location in Lubbock celebrated a grand reopening following renovations and expansions across several departments in Texas. However, by July 2025, Discount Emporium Inc. had closed its final three West Virginia stores situated in Barboursville and Charleston.