Walgreens has had a technology office located in Chicago since 2010. Walgreens has its corporate headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. Logo since 2005 until 2020 Corporate operations Prior to the appointment, he served as president of operations for Walgreens. In February 2020, Walgreens announced the appointment of Richard Ashworth as president of the company. On September 19, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved Walgreen's fourth attempt to purchase Rite Aid, with 1,932 stores for $4.38 billion total. On July 28, 2016, Walgreens announced it would shut down, as well as, in order to focus on its own website. Also that year, Walgreens acquired Farmacias Benavides. In December of that year, Walgreens purchased the Almus Pharmaceutical generic brand. The combined company became known as the Walgreens Boots Alliance and was headquartered in Chicago. In August 2014, Walgreens purchased the remaining 55% of Alliance Boots. On September 10, 2013, Walgreens announced it had acquired Kerr Drug. In 2012, Walgreens announced that it would continue to participate in Express Scripts. Groups sending letters were National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the Congress of Racial Equality, Hispanic Leadership Fund and others. A coalition of minority groups, led by Al Sharpton's National Action Network, sent letters urging CEO Gregory Wasson to reconsider. In 2011 Walgreens announced it would end its relationship with Express Scripts, a prescription benefits manager. That year, Walgreens acquired Mid-South drug store chain operating under the USA Drug, Super D Drug, May's Drug, Med-X, and Drug Warehouse banners. On June 19, 2012: Walgreens paid $6.7 billion for a 45% interest in Alliance Boots. In March 2011, Walgreens acquired for $409 million. In 2010, Walgreens acquired New York City-area chain Duane Reade for $1.075 billion, including debt, and continued to use the Duane Reade name on some stores in the New York City metropolitan area. On January 26, 2009, Gregory Wasson was named CEO effective February 1, 2009. On October 10, 2008, Rein abruptly quit as CEO and was replaced by Alan G. That year, Walgreens acquired the Happy Harry's chain in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. On July 12, 2006, David Bernauer stepped down as CEO of Walgreens and was replaced by company president Jeff Rein, who was later named chief executive officer and chairman of the board. Walgreen was made a vice-president and promoted to senior vice president of store operations in 2006. in 1988, and by 1991 the chain was out of business.In 1986, Walgreens acquired the MediMart chain from Stop & Shop. Walgreens sold most of these to Marriott Corp. In the 1980s Walgreens owned and operated a chain of casual family restaurants/ pancake houses called Wag's. in the 1960s The Walgreen family was not involved in senior management of the company for a short time following Walgreen III's retirement. The company also created larger-sized Walgreens Superstores and purchased the Globe Discount City chain of big-box stores from United Mercantile, Inc. Walgreen III took over after Walgreen Jr.'s retirement in the early 1950s and modernized the company by switching to barcode scanning. In 1946, Walgreens purchased Sanborns, one of the largest pharmacy and department store chains in Mexico, from Frank Sanborn (Walgreens sold Sanborns to Grupo Carso in 1982). Walgreen (Jr.) years were relatively prosperous but lacked the massive expansion seen in the early part of the century. took over the chain until his retirement. By 1934, Walgreens was operating in 30 states with 601 stores. The stock market crash in October 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression did not greatly affect the company. This expansion partly was attributed to selling prescribed alcohol, mainly whiskey, which Walgreen often stocked under the counter, as accounted in Daniel Okrent's Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. By 1930, it had 397 stores with annual sales of US$4,000,000. Walgreens had also expanded by then into Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In the mid-1920s, there were 44 stores with annual sales of $1,200,000 combined. The next year, Walgreen began opening stores away from residential areas. In 1922, the company introduced a malted milkshake, which led to its establishing ice cream manufacturing plants. Although alcohol was illegal, prescription whiskey was available and sold by Walgreens. As a result of alcohol prohibition, the 1920s were a successful time for Walgreens. By 1919, there were 20 stores in the chain.
It opened its fifth in 1915 and four more in 1916. By 1913, Walgreens had grown to four stores on Chicago's South Side. Walgreens began in 1901, with a small food front store on the corner of Bowen and Cottage Grove Avenues in Chicago, owned by Galesburg native Charles R.