Walgreens to Celebrate Grand Opening of First Alaska Store and Presence in All 50 States

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(Business Wire)--
Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) will celebrate the grand opening of its first
store in Alaska and its presence in all 50 states on Sunday, July 12, at the
ribbon cutting for its new store in Wasilla, Alaska.

"More than 100 years ago our founder, Charles Walgreen Sr., would remind his
customers, `You`re always welcome at Walgreens,`" said Mark Wagner, Walgreens
executive vice president of operations and community management. "We`re now
extending that welcome across the entire country."

Wagner will join other Walgreens executives to welcome the Alaska community to
the only 24-hour pharmacy in the state. The Wasilla store, along with two
Anchorage locations that will open in August, includes products from local
vendors, including coffee and moose nuggets to ulus and fishing supplies. All
three Walgreens Alaska stores opening this summer will offer drive-thru
pharmacies, as well as heated sidewalks, heated parking spaces for people with
disabilities and heated aprons around the front doors.

"With an aging population and baby boomers in their 60s, Alaska`s demand for
pharmacy services is growing every year," said Bruce Philipp, Walgreens district
manager for Alaska. "We`ll help meet that need with services that aren`t
currently offered in the state, such as 24-hour prescription service and
drive-thru pharmacies that are especially helpful to the elderly, parents of
small children and people who have their pet in the car with them. We even can
provide medications for your pets to make caring for them easier, too."

Many local Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage residents, including Wasilla Mayor Verne
Rupright and local legislators, will join the community in the grand opening
celebration. Walgreens will present contributions totaling $5,000 to area
charitable organizations.

"Walgreens mission is to provide quality pharmacy and health and wellness
services that are accessible and affordable," said Wagner. "Our pharmacists help
improve the lives of local residents living with diabetes, cancer, heart disease
and many other health issues."

Like Walgreens stores in the Lower 48, Alaska stores will feature:

* Pharmacy auto-refill service and prescription label directions in any of 14
different languages.
* A pharmacy electronically connected to all Walgreens pharmacies across the
country. This makes a patient`s prescription information available at any
Walgreens when they`re traveling and have a pharmacy need.
* Flavoring that can be added to liquid medicines that take the "yuck" out of
the medicine`s taste for children. Walgreens offers 11 different flavors.
* A report that lists Medicare Part D plans and manufacturer discount plans for
which a pharmacy patient may be eligible. The report can be customized for the
medications an individual patient takes and helps them choose the most
cost-effective program.
* Complete digital photo services, including the ability to upload photos to
Walgreens.com and pick them up at any Walgreens nationwide in about an hour.
* Convenient, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly printer cartridge refill
service - a smart way to lower computer printing costs.

"Providing great customer service and operating successful stores here will mean
more opportunities for residents to build long-term careers with us. And it will
mean we can have a greater impact on Alaska`s health care needs," Wagner said.

Each Alaska store will employ about 30 to 40 people, including store managers,
pharmacists and pharmacy staff, photo specialists, beauty advisers and service
clerks.

Walgreens

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with
fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,902 drugstores in all
50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most
convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective pharmacy,
health and wellness services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens
Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. Walgreens
Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical
plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager),
Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty
Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care
facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness division includes Take Care Health
Systems, the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and
wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 715
locations throughout the country.

Robert Elfinger
(847) 914-2962
http://news.walgreens.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009