History
1970
A number of store milestones were reached in the 1970s. The company opened its 100th store at Keokuk, Iowa. It also entered three new states: South Dakota in 1975 with a store in Brookings; Nebraska in 1977 with a store in Norfolk; and Illinois in 1979 with a store in Macomb.
 |
| The cosmetics counter at the West Des Moines, Iowa, Drug Town, in the 1970s. |
Stores introduced electronic cash registers in 1975 at Keokuk and in-store floral shops in 1979. The Regal Distribution Center in Chariton, Iowa, was built in 1973 and a new distribution center was constructed in 1976 in Cherokee, Iowa.
Dwight Vredenburg was elected the first chief executive officer and chairman of the board in 1978. Cofounder Charles Hyde died in 1970.
At the end of 1979, there were 124 stores and approximately 10,000 employees.
