Rexall Rides the Rails

Abstract

During his time as president of United Drug Company, Louis K. Liggett used his sales knowledge to create a national network of drugstores that served customers from coast to coast. The first 25 years saw tremendous growth of the Rexall brand under Liggett’s leadership. His friendly yet firm approach to franchisees had built a loyal network of druggists and store owners who regularly traveled to national Rexall conventions to learn the newest and best ways to market to and serve customers. Liggett had also created a promotional machine that made Rexall a truly national brand during that same time. By 1936 however, the Great Depression had affected much of Rexall’s model. It had been eight years since the last national convention and the economy was beginning to show signs of improvement, which would help bring customers back into stores. This combination of factors inspired Liggett. Instead of holding a national convention in a single location, he would take the convention to his franchisees while also providing an exhibition to show customers the array of products and services available from their local Rexall drugstore. This idea would cost a million dollars, but it would reach thousands of franchisees and millions of customers. The Rexall Train was a 12‐car streamlined train, complete with exhibition and convention space, that travelled more than 27,000 miles in eight months to promote Rexall and United Drug. This article looks at the history of one of the most audacious promotional tours of all time.