Walgreens Celebrates 7,000 Stores Nationwide with Coney Island-Style Grand Opening in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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.

“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.”

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.

“We’ve 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.