Generally speaking, The General Merchandise Distributors Council (GMDC) gets beauty and health care manufacturers together with pharmacy and general merchandise suppliers for mutually beneficial buying and selling. GMDC hosts several conferences each year, bringing together wholesalers and retailers. Its education branch publishes studies and white papers and offers marketing training programs. GMDC also publishes weekly newsletters and helps its members connect to industry publications like Drug Store News and Chain Drug Review. The organization was founded in 1970.