VANCOUVER, British Columbia--Canadian-based AMS Homecare is expanding across the border with the Seattle-area opening this summer of its first in a planned network of retail eldercare stores.

Dubbed 65 Plus, the stores will be geared toward the elderly and disabled, and will include a pharmacy, private consulting area, DME and other devices such as hearing aids. The first store is slated to open in Bellevue, Wash., this June in a leased 2,500-sq. ft. space, although subsequent units may be larger, the company said.

"We believe the elderly and disabled represent an underserved market. There is no single location at which they can find all the products they need to maintain their mobility and quality of life," said AMS CEO Harj Gill. "We are bringing together those products in a store that offers a convenient and dignified setting. The 65 Plus store will provide a new departure in service to this growing segment of the population."

In December, the company's U.S. subsidiary signed a letter of intent with a Canadian pharmacy to form a joint venture to enter the U.S. retail market. The pharmacy company will advise on U.S. pharmacy start-up procedures, and assist in hiring pharmacists. "The synergy of providing pharmaceutical services with our products--which are designed primarily for the elderly and others with mobility difficulties--will be a natural fit with our target market," Gill said at the time, adding that AMS will use expertise from its distribution business in supplying the store. Locating the first store in Washington makes sense because "we are just a couple of hours from Washington," he said. "We ran a marketing test in this area recently, and we were quite satisfied with the results."

AMS provides mobility equipment, other medical products and patient monitoring technology to a base of 300-plus dealer customers in Canada.