Walgreens Supports INFORM Consumers Act Introduction in U.S. House of Representatives

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In support of the INFORM Consumers Act introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Walgreens issued the following statement from Alex Gourlay, president of Walgreens.

“The lack of transparency and accountability in today’s digital marketplaces has contributed to the rapid rise of organized retail crime, which has become one of the top challenges facing the retail industry today. Walgreens strongly supports Congresswoman Schakowsky’s INFORM Consumers Act, which complements the bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year to require online marketplaces to verify high-volume sellers, remove incentives for retail theft and help make our communities safer. Now, more than ever, consumers deserve to know who they are buying products from online, in order to make safe and informed purchasing decisions for themselves and their families.”

Background on Organize Retail Crime (ORC)

• Organized retail crime is one of the top challenges facing retailers today. According to a 2019 survey by the National Retail Federation, retailers reported average losses of $700,000 per $1 billion dollars in sales over a 12-month period.¹

• Organized retail crime has evolved beyond shoplifting and petty theft to the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods online. The emergence of largely unregulated online marketplaces and third party sellers have given criminals and ORC groups additional means to sell stolen and legitimate good, further eroding retailer’s bottom lines and putting consumers’ safety at risk.

• Walgreens believes online marketplaces should be accountable for the activity on their platforms and ensure only legitimate goods are sold by verified sellers.

About Walgreens

Walgreens (walgreens.com), one of the nation's largest drugstore chains, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), a global leader in retail and wholesale pharmacy. Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health, beauty and retail destination supporting communities across the country, and was named to FORTUNE* magazine’s 2019 Companies that Change the World list. Approximately 8 million customers interact with Walgreens in stores and online each day. As of August 31, 2019, Walgreens operates 9,277 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business, Walgreens.com. Walgreens also provides specialty pharmacy and mail services and offers in-store clinics and other health care services throughout the United States, most of which are operated by our health care strategic partners.

*© 2019, Fortune Media IP Limited. Used under license. 

¹ https://nrf.com/research/2019-organized-retail-crime-survey