Walgreen Company
 |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1901 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Founder | Charles Rudolph Walgreen |
| Headquarters | 200 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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8,175 |
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Area served
|
United States |
|
Key people
|
James A. Skinner (Executive Chairman) Alex Gourlay (President) Stefano Pessina (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Parent |
Walgreens Boots Alliance (2014–present) |
| Website | walgreens |
The Walgreen Company (Walgreens, or sometimes archaically Walgreen) is an American company which operates as the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, and photo services. As of August 31, 2016, the company operated 8,175 stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1901. The Walgreens headquarters office is in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois.
In 2014, the company agreed to purchase the remaining 55% of Switzerland-based Alliance Boots that it did not already own to form a global business. Under the terms of the purchase, the two companies merged to form a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., on December 31, 2014. Walgreens became a subsidiary of the new company, which retains its Deerfield headquarters and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBA.
Walgreens began in 1901, with a drug store on the corner of Bowen Ave and Cottage Grove in Chicago, owned by Galesburg native Charles R. Walgreen, Sr. By 1913, Walgreens had grown to four stores on Chicago's South Side. It opened its fifth in 1915, and four more in 1916. By 1919, there were 20 stores in the chain. As a result of alcohol prohibition, the 1920s was a successful time for Walgreens. Although alcohol was illegal, prescription whiskey was available and sold by Walgreens.
In 1922, the company introduced a malted milkshake, which led to its establishing ice cream manufacturing plants. The next year, Walgreen began opening stores away from residential areas. In the mid-1920s, there were 44 stores with annual sales of $1,200,000. Walgreens had expanded into Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
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