Walgreens, commonly known as Duane Reade, is a chain of drugstores in the United States. The company was founded in 1901 by David W.
Duane and it is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. As of 2006, Walgreens operates 8,811 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The first Walgreens store was opened in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s name is a portmanteau of the surnames of the two founders, Duane and Reade.
The store originally marketed itself as a provider of “quality drugs at sensible prices.” In 1905, Walgreens began to sell cigarettes and soon became the leading retailer of tobacco products in the United States.
In 1927, Walgreens opened its first international store in London, England. The Walgreens international chain currently operates in more than 20 countries.
In 1971, Walgreens opened its first store in Canada. As of 2006, Walgreens operates stores in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Switzerland, and Australia.
In 1994, Walgreens merged with the former CVS Corporation. The combined company operated under the name Walgreens/CVS. In 1999, Walgreens purchased the Rite Aid Corporation. As a result of the merger, Walgreens became the largest drugstore chain in the United States.
In 2006, Walgreens purchased the European health care company Alliance Boots. As a result of the purchase, Walgreens became the largest drugstore chain in Europe.
The Walgreens/CVS logo is a red and white checkerboard. The red represents the passion of the founders for quality drugs at sensible prices, and the white represents the purity of the products that Walgreens sells.
The Walgreens/CVS slogan is “Health Matters. People Matter.”.
