Walgreens

Walgreens
Walgreens
FormerlyWalgreen Drug Co. (1901โ€“1931)
Walgreen Drug Stores (1931โ€“1948)
Walgreen's (1948โ€“1955)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
PredecessorDrug Fair
Founded1901 (1901), in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
FounderCharles Rudolph Walgreen
Headquarters200 Wilmot Road, ,
U.S.
Number of locations
8000 stores (2026)
Area served
United States
Key peopleJohn Lederer (executive chairman)
Mike Motz (CEO)
Products
  • Drugs*
  • pharmacy
  • photo center
  • beauty products
  • groceries
  • food
  • drinks
  • liquor*
  • electronics
  • toys
  • pet supplies
  • cleaning supplies
  • seasonal items
  • bath
  • gifts
  • baby products
  • hygiene products
  • health products
  • auto
  • optical
  • school and office supplies
  • tobacco*
*where permitted by law
2,091,000,000 (2010) Edit this on Wikidata
ParentSycamore Partners
Websitewalgreens.com
Footnotes

Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It is the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of 2026, Walgreens operated 8,000 stores in the United States, serving 9 million customers daily and employing 211,000 team members. In addition to pharmacy services, Walgreens also offers photo services.

Walgreens was founded in Chicago by Charles Rudolph Walgreen in 1901. On December 31, 2014, Walgreens acquired Switzerland and UK-based Alliance Boots, and formed a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance. That year Walgreens had generated $76.4 billion in annual revenue as an independent company. Walgreens became a subsidiary of the new company, which retained its Deerfield headquarters and traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBA. As of August 2025, Walgreens is owned by private equity firm Sycamore Partners.

Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuits over discrimination, drug fraud, federal billing fraud, distribution of opioids, discrepancies between shelf price and scanned price, overcharging, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, selling expired items, misleading investors, unlicensed pharmacists, and wage theft. In 2021, Walgreens was one of several pharmacy chains found by a federal jury to have substantially contributed to the opioid crisis.