Kinney Drugs
Kinney Drugs is a 100% employee-owned pharmacy chain operating nearly 100 retail locations across New York and Vermont, dispensing prescriptions, administering vaccines, and selling retail health products supported by an AI assistant, mobile app, and loyalty program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1903
- HeadquartersGouverneur, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kinney Drugs does
Kinney Drugs is a 100% employee-owned community pharmacy and retail chain founded in 1903 by Burt Kinney in Gouverneur, NY, and operated today through its legal entity KPH Healthcare Services, Inc. It runs approximately 98-100 retail locations across New York and Vermont, dispensing prescriptions, administering vaccinations, and selling OTC medications, health products, private-label brands, beer (with manufacturer rebates), and convenience items including pet medications. Customer segments span general retail consumers, Medicare beneficiaries (with explicit tooling for Part D plan selection and the upcoming GLP-1 Bridge program), and rural/underserved communities served through nearly 100 physical access points.
The company's technology stack combines an online Pharmacy Portal for refills, transfers, and status viewing, a mobile app for iOS/Android, the "Burt" AI-powered voice and text assistant for automated prescription notifications and refill workflows, and a MicroStrategy-powered internal analytics dashboard (KD Retail Dashboard). Distribution extends through Instacart and DoorDash partnerships for home delivery, the tHRiVe Rewards loyalty program (1 point per $1 spent, Platinum tier at 1,000 points), and integrations with NationsBenefits Flex Card and EnlivenHealth for Medicare plan comparison.
Revenue is generated transactionally through prescription dispensing (insurance, Medicare Part D, cash), retail merchandise sales, vaccination services, photo services, and increasingly through Medicare-focused specialty programs — notably the upcoming CMS GLP-1 Bridge program offering Wegovy, Foundayo, and Zepbound at $50/month to qualifying Medicare recipients. The go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer through owned retail, augmented by partnerships that route health-plan and Medicare-funded demand into Kinney locations.
Kinney Drugs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kinney Drugs
- Legal name
- KPH Healthcare Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://kinneydrugs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1903
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Kinney Drugs is a 100% employee-owned pharmacy chain operating nearly 100 retail locations across New York and Vermont, dispensing prescriptions, administering vaccines, and selling retail health products supported by an AI assistant, mobile app, and loyalty program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kinney Drugs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Pharmacy and Retail Drugstore
- NAICS
- Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611)
- SIC
- Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent) (HLAFALAA)
Keywords
Where Kinney Drugs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gouverneur
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Kinney Drugs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Prescription Drug Dispensing: Core revenue stream from dispensing prescription medications to customers. Billable through insurance, Medicare Part D, and direct patient payments. Includes controlled substance dispensing subject to regulatory compliance.
- Retail Product Sales: Sale of over-the-counter medications, health products, beauty items, household essentials, beer (with manufacturer rebates), and private label brands (Premier Value, Best Yet, Top Care).
- Vaccination and Immunization Services: Revenue from administering vaccines including flu shots, COVID-19, and other immunizations. Services include scheduled appointments and flu clinic hosting.
- Medicare Part D Services: Medicare Part D plan comparison services and participation in Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program offering weight-loss medications to qualifying Medicare recipients at $50/month.
- tHRiVe Rewards Loyalty Program: Loyalty program driving customer retention through points earning (1 point per $1 spent), exclusive member deals, Platinum tier upgrades with enhanced discounts, and digital coupon integration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program - $50/month for qualifying seniors |
| Freemium | Monthly | tHRiVe Rewards - Free loyalty program with tiered benefits |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | NationsBenefits Flex Card - Point of sale payment integration |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Kinney Drugs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kinney Drugs operates a chain of nearly 100 community pharmacies and retail drugstores across New York and Vermont that dispense prescription medications, administer vaccinations and immunizations, run healthcare programs (smoking cessation, diabetes care, colorectal screening, hearing solutions), sell over-the-counter health products, beauty items, household essentials, pet medications, beer, and private-label brands, and accept flexible health-plan payment methods. The company extends its service through an online Pharmacy Portal, a mobile app, an AI-powered assistant (Burt), third-party delivery via Instacart and DoorDash, and the tHRiVe Rewards loyalty program.
Product overview
Kinney Drugs operates as a pharmacy chain with nearly 100 retail locations across New York and Vermont, offering a unified retail pharmacy model with integrated digital services. The core offering centers on pharmacy services including prescription filling, immunizations, and health programs. Digital products include the Pharmacy Portal for online prescription management, the Burt AI assistant for automated notifications, and the tHRiVe Rewards loyalty program. Recent additions include Medicare-focused services (GLP-1 Bridge program, Part D plan comparisons, Flex Card acceptance) and community health initiatives (medication disposal kiosks). The company is 100% employee-owned and serves as both a healthcare provider and retail destination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- tHRiVe Rewards: Loyalty rewards program offering exclusive deals, points earning (1 point per $1 spent), Platinum status upgrades, and discounts on private label brands
- Burt
Products and services
- Pharmacy Services
- Vaccines and Immunizations
Quantifiable outcome
- One poison exposure every 15 seconds in 2024
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kinney Drugs
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kinney Drugs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
Kinney Drugs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)coreParticipating in new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program launching July 1, 2026, offering weight-loss drugs (Wegovy, Foundayo, Zepbound) to Medicare recipients with Part D coverage for $50/month. First time Medicare covers such medications for obesity. Pilot program runs through December 2027.
- L'Oréal Dermatological BeautyminorParticipating in inaugural National Sun Responsibly Day campaign on May 18, part of industry-wide effort to promote daily sun protection as a year-round habit. Campaign engaged retailers including CVS Health, Walgreens, Meijer, Hy-Vee, and Kinney Drugs, reaching over 11,000 retail doors.
- NationsBenefitscorePartnership with NationsBenefits expands acceptance of Benefits Mastercard Prepaid Flex Card at Kinney Drugs locations across New York and Vermont. Eligible health plan members can purchase prescription medications, over-the-counter health items, and essential products at point of sale with no manual claims or reimbursement delays. The partnership addresses pharmacy access gaps in rural and underserved communities and advances the convergence of healthcare, retail, and fintech.
- EnlivenHealthcorePartnership with EnlivenHealth enables Kinney Drugs to offer free Medicare Part D plan comparisons during open enrollment (October 15 to December 7). The service helps seniors navigate complex plan selection through personalized options delivered via phone or online tools.
- InstacartminorE-commerce partnership enabling customers to shop in-store prices through Instacart for home delivery in select Kinney Drugs locations.
- DoorDashminorE-commerce partnership enabling customers to order Kinney Drugs products for home delivery through DoorDash platform in select locations.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kinney Drugs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Amazon Pharmacy: Mail-order and digital pharmacy launched by Amazon, offering home delivery of prescriptions with Prime integration. Not a brick-and-mortar competitor but increasingly relevant for refill and chronic medication volumes, especially among younger demographics.
Regional players
- Price Chopper / Market 32 Pharmacy (Golub Corporation): Grocery-anchored pharmacy chain across upstate New York, Vermont, and neighboring states. Closely comparable regional competitor with similar small-city/rural footprint and prescription-plus-retail model.
- Giant Pharmacy (Ahold Delhaize): Grocery-store pharmacy banner across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia with some upstate NY presence. Comparable regional grocery-pharmacy format competing for prescription share in adjacent markets.
- Wegmans Pharmacy: Family-owned grocery chain with in-store pharmacies concentrated in NY, PA, NJ, VA, and MA. Comparable as a regionally dominant, privately held Northeast operator; competes with Kinney for prescription volume and front-of-store grocery-pharmacy trip occasions.
- Hannaford Pharmacy (Ahold Delhaize): Grocery-store pharmacy banner inside Hannaford supermarkets across the Northeast including upstate New York and parts of New England. Comparable as a regional pharmacy competitor serving overlapping rural and suburban communities in NY/VT.
- Tops Friendly Markets Pharmacy: Grocery-based pharmacy operator across western and central New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Directly overlaps Kinney's footprint in smaller upstate NY communities and competes for similar prescription and OTC customers.
Direct peers
- Rite Aid: Regional/national drugstore chain (particularly strong in Northeast/Mid-Atlantic) offering prescriptions, OTC, and retail. Closest direct comparable in store format and customer mix; recent bankruptcy and store base contraction may open share for Kinney in overlapping NY/Pennsylvania markets.
Broad incumbents
- Walgreens Boots Alliance: National pharmacy chain with ~8,000+ US stores providing prescription services, vaccinations, and retail. Direct competitor for prescription share in Kinney's NY/VT trade area, with materially greater scale, capital, and wholesale buying power.
- CVS Pharmacy (CVS Health): National pharmacy chain with ~9,000+ stores offering prescription dispensing, vaccinations, and retail merchandise. Comparable as a direct pharmacy competitor, but operates at vastly larger scale with integrated PBM (Caremark) and insurance assets that Kinney lacks.
- Walmart Pharmacy: Mass retailer operating ~4,600 US in-store pharmacies, including locations in upstate NY and Vermont. Competes aggressively on $4 generics and OTC pricing, pressuring independent and regional pharmacy economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kinney Drugs social profiles
Digital presenceKinney Drugs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Kinney Drugs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kinney Drugs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kinney Drugs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kinney Drugs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kinney Drugs
What does Kinney Drugs do?
Kinney Drugs operates a chain of nearly 100 community pharmacies and retail drugstores across New York and Vermont that dispense prescription medications, administer vaccinations and immunizations, run healthcare programs (smoking cessation, diabetes care, colorectal screening, hearing solutions), sell over-the-counter health products, beauty items, household essentials, pet medications, beer, and private-label brands, and accept flexible health-plan payment methods. The company extends its service through an online Pharmacy Portal, a mobile app, an AI-powered assistant (Burt), third-party delivery via Instacart and DoorDash, and the tHRiVe Rewards loyalty program.
Is Kinney Drugs a public or private company?
Kinney Drugs is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Kinney Drugs founded?
Kinney Drugs was founded in 1903. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Kinney Drugs based?
Kinney Drugs is headquartered in Gouverneur, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kinney Drugs make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Prescription Drug Dispensing is the primary driver. The others are retail Product Sales, vaccination and Immunization Services, medicare Part D Services and tHRiVe Rewards Loyalty Program.
Who are Kinney Drugs's main competitors?
Amazon Pharmacy is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Price Chopper / Market 32 Pharmacy (Golub Corporation), Giant Pharmacy (Ahold Delhaize), Wegmans Pharmacy, Hannaford Pharmacy (Ahold Delhaize) and Tops Friendly Markets Pharmacy. Rite Aid is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Walgreens Boots Alliance, CVS Pharmacy (CVS Health) and Walmart Pharmacy.
Does Kinney Drugs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kinney Drugs.
What industry is Kinney Drugs in?
Kinney Drugs's product category is Community Pharmacy and Retail Drugstore. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFALAA, Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent). Its NAICS code is 456110 and its SIC code is 5912.