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DEERFIELD, Ill.(BUSINESS WIRE)
Walgreens (NYSE:WAG)(NASDAQ:WAG) is celebrating the grand opening today
of its 7,000th store nationwide at 2590 Coney Island Ave., in Brooklyn,
N.Y. State and local officials will welcome the retailer to another New
York neighborhood during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon Eastern time.
In the past decade, Walgreens has grown from 3,000 stores to reach its
goal of operating 7,000 stores by 2010. With more than 7,040 drugstores
currently in operation, Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore
chain both in store count and sales.
For the last decade we have focused on finding the best corners in
America to provide consumer goods and pharmacy and health and wellness
services,? said Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson. Today, more
than 50 percent of the U.S. population lives within two miles of a
Walgreens and close to 75 percent lives within five miles.
Weve come a long way since Charles R. Walgreen Sr. opened his first
store in Chicago in 1901. As our company has grown from a small
neighborhood pharmacy to a leading provider of pharmacy and health and
wellness services, the one thing that has never changed is our
commitment to remaining a trusted resource in every neighborhood we
serve.?
The new store in the Gravesend neighborhood, near iconic Coney Island,
is Walgreens 20th in Brooklyn and its 67th across the five boroughs. The
company employs more than 1,250 people in the city who serve thousands
of pharmacy patients and customers every day.
Walgreens is one of the fastest-growing retailers in America, with much
of its future growth slated for the Northeast and California. The chain
expects to open about 25 New York-area stores within the next couple of
years.
As part of the grand opening, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour is
offering free health screenings to all adult attendees and flu shot
vouchers to uninsured adults in the store's parking lot today. The
appearance by the customized, traveling health-screening bus is part of
a nationwide tour of nine vehicles to deliver free health screenings
across the country for early detection and prevention of diseases, as
well as health education. Screenings test for total cholesterol level,
blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels and body mass index.
The Coney Island-themed grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting
ceremony, food, music and entertainment. Guest speakers include Brooklyn
Borough President Marty Markowitz and other state and local officials.
Walgreens also will donate $7,000 to Lenny's Lighthouse, a Brooklyn
charity that provides support to people with disabilities.
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com)
is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2009 sales of $63.3
billion. The company operates 7,042 drugstores in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most
convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective
pharmacy, health and wellness services in America through its retail
drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and
Wellness division. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients
and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health
Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service
Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and
SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities).
Walgreens Health and Wellness Division includes Take Care Health
Systems, the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health
and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more
than 700 locations throughout the country.
Walgreens
Robert Elfinger
(847) 722-4543
http://news.walgreens.com
Source: Walgreens
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