The New Walgreens
Upon reading this you will see why Walgreens is the cutting edge of the pharmacy industry. With over 4 million customers daily and 500 million prescriptions yearly. Walgreens is a pharmacy chain, mail service pharmacy, pharmacy benefit manager andspecialty pharmacy all in one.

Walgreens is agressive at expansion with their locations being marketed as seperate entities. Walgreens build its pharmacys as free standing buildings on the busiest intersections giving them the true meaning of your neighborhood "Corner Drugstore". Most stores are built on the same platform design, approx. 14,500 square feet, over 25,000 different items for sale. Each store has between 25 to 30 employees. Each store on a average does over $7.9 million a year. Most have mini stores within such as pharmacy, cosmetics and photo shops. Select locations are testing fresh coffee, Icee and fountain drinks.Larger cities now have within Walgreens Health Clinics with certified staff to diagnose common illnesses along with prescription and vaccination capabilities.
 
These Clinics are open full store hours with insurance accepted.
Walgreens Health Services
Established in 1991 WHS is primarily a health orirntated business providing pharmacy benefit management(PBM), a mail service pharmacy, home health care and specialty pharmacy services.
Walgreens Health Initiative
WHI is a PBM whose client list contains over 400 health plans, employer groups, third parties, unions,government entities etc. WHI covers prescription insurance benefits of over 13.5 million individuals in a health network of over 63,000 pharmacies.

The Walgreens chain began as a simple single store in 1901 by Charles R. Walgreen Sr. He quickly expanded to chain store status. After his passing Charles R. Walgreen Jr. took the company over, while the stores were prosperous he was not into rapid expansion. Charles Jr. retired in the early 1970s, Charles "Cork" R. Walgreen III took charge. Cork has brought the company through many changes and inovations such as rapid expansion and the first to use barcode scanning. Walgreens has had amazing growth over the years. In 2000 the 3000th store was opened. Three years later the 4000th opened. In 2003 the Hi-School pharmacy chain was purchased. In 2005 the 5000th store was opened. 2006 a large chain covering four states in the northeast called Happy Harry's was acquired by Walgreens. With this they are nearing the 6000th store and expect to have 7000 by 2010. Walgreens over the years has had various other companies:
Sanborn's the largest pharmacy chain in Mexico (1946 to 1985)
Wag,s a chain of casual family restaraunts that competed with Woolworth's (1981-1988)