Deerfield, IL — Walgreens has unveiled a plan to quadruple its number of food oasis stores in Chicago to nearly 50 stores. It will also open new and remodeled stores in the city.
Deerfield, IL — Walgreens has unveiled its “Chicago Hometown Investment Initiative,” a plan to provide an estimated 600 new jobs in the city over the next 2 years and quadruple its number of food oasis stores to nearly 50 stores.
Approximately 300 of those new jobs in the city are planned to be created by new store openings and remodeling of many of Walgreens’ 142 Chicago drugstores, including the planned expansion of Walgreens 11 food oasis stores in the city to nearly 50 over the next 2 years. Walgreens food oasis locations offer a broader selection of healthy foods to address the food desert issue facing many communities.
Walgreens “Chicago Hometown Investment Initiative” includes three key components:
• Expanded downtown office space: Walgreens plan to expand its downtown presence for e-commerce, information technology and other support areas, some of which have been located in the Sullivan Center since March 2010. Walgreens estimates that the expansion will bring approximately 300 jobs to downtown Chicago.
• Expansion of food oasis stores: Walgreens intends to quadruple the number of Chicago food oasis stores. The company now plans to double the number of stores with expanded healthy food selections by 2012, and double the number again in 2013, to reach a total of nearly 50 food oasis stores.
• New and remodeled drugstores: Walgreens plans to open at least five additional stores in Chicago over the next 2 years, while also investing in remodeling many of its existing stores in the city.
Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2010 sales of $67 billion. The company operates 7,715 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.walgreens.com.