Walgreens Expands Micro-Fulfillment Network with New Facility in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

The facility will support nearly 200 stores regionally with the dispensing and shipping of prescriptions, allowing pharmacists to spend more time with patients.

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walgreens is continuing to invest in innovative pharmacy solutions with the opening of a new micro-fulfillment center (MFC) in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This facility will streamline prescription processing and reduce administrative tasks, freeing up pharmacists to focus more on delivering personalized care to their patients. This new facility will support nearly 200 Walgreens stores across the Midwest, including 145 in Minnesota alone, and is expected to process approximately 13 million prescriptions each year. It will also bring more than 175 jobs to the area, as well as significant payroll tax revenue to the state and property tax revenue to the county.

"Walgreens’ investment in micro-fulfillment centers is another strategic step toward a brighter future for community pharmacy,” said Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer, Walgreens. “Research shows that Americans want more health services at their local pharmacy, and micro-fulfillment centers help us meet those needs by allowing our pharmacists do what they do best: spend more time with patients.”

Micro-fulfillment centers are a network of facilities using innovative, robotic technology in a central pharmacy environment to more efficiently dispense and ship prescriptions to Walgreens' locations nationwide. Walgreens’ network of 12 micro-fulfillment centers now supports over 5,000 stores across the country, fulfilling more than 3.5 million prescriptions weekly. These high-tech facilities have yielded successful results, including:

• A 24% year-over-year increase in shipped volumes from micro-fulfillment centers, with approximately 16 million prescriptions filled each month, enhancing the in-store experience for both team members and customers
• Approximately 40% of a store’s total prescription volume is managed by MFCs at locations serviced by these facilities, allowing pharmacists more time to administer immunizations and provide other services for patients
• The implementation of a recycling program across micro-fulfillment centers that recycled 3.7 million pounds of cardboard, plastic, and toner cartridges in fiscal year 2024

“Our pharmacists working in locations supported by our micro-fulfillment sites are spending less time filling prescriptions and more time on patient care, like providing medication adherence support or administering vaccines – all of which help strengthen the health of our communities and provide a better overall patient experience,” explains Kayla Heffington, vice president, pharmacy operating model, Walgreens.

Learn more about Walgreens micro-fulfillment centers or apply for a position at our new Brooklyn Park center.

About Walgreens

Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) has a storied heritage of caring for communities for generations, and proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and leading omni-channel platforms. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for retail pharmacy and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.

Walgreens is the flagship U.S. brand of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader. Its retail locations are a critical point of access and convenience in thousands of communities, with Walgreens pharmacists playing a greater role as part of the healthcare system and patients’ care teams than ever before. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy provides critical care and pharmacy services to millions of patients with rare disease states and complex, chronic conditions.