CVS Health

Stanley and Sidney Goldstein opened their first store in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1963 under the name Consumer Value Stores. They quickly realized that shortening the brand to CVS made it easier for customers to remember and say. That simple retail concept has grown into a massive network where millions of people pick up prescriptions and wellness products every single day.

The company reshaped the healthcare landscape by buying Caremark in 2014 and Aetna in 2018. This strategy allowed them to control the entire patient journey from insurance coverage to the actual medicine on the shelf. Today they rank as the second-largest healthcare organization globally behind only UnitedHealth Group.

Leadership shifts continue to define the current era. Recent reports from August 2026 confirm that Larry Robbins stepped down from the board while Teresa Heitsenrether joined as a data executive to lead AI initiatives. The corporation remains headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, while maintaining thousands of locations across the nation. [edit]