Businessweek

Walgreen Co., together with its subsidiaries, operates a drugstore chain in the United States. The company provides its customers with multichannel access to consumer goods and services, pharmacy, and health and wellness services in communities across America. The company sells prescription and non-prescription drugs, as well as general merchandise, including household items, convenience and fresh foods, personal care, beauty care, photofinishing, and candy. Its pharmacy, health and wellness services include retail, specialty, infusion and respiratory services, mail service, convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers. Its Take Care Health Systems subsidiary is a manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with approximately 700 locations throughout the United States. The company provides the most convenient multichannel access to consumer goods and services, pharmacy, health and wellness services through its 7,930 community based drugstores, as well as through its specialty pharmacy, home infusion and respiratory services, worksite health and wellness centers and retail clinic businesses. The company markets its products and services to employers, governments, managed care organizations and pharmacy benefit managers, expanding beyond its traditional retail consumer model to contract directly with its payers. The company owns BioScrip, Inc.’s community specialty pharmacies, and centralized specialty and mail services pharmacy businesses, which advances community pharmacy and brings additional specialty pharmacy products and services closer to patients. The company offers customers the choice to have prescriptions filled at the drugstore, as well as through the mail, and customers may also place orders by telephone and online. Its drugstores sell prescription and non-prescription drugs and utilizes its pharmacists to provide drug consultations and administer flu vaccines and other immunizations. The company offers specialty pharmacy services that provide customers nationwide access to various medications, services and programs for managing complex and chronic health conditions. In addition, it offers its customers infusion therapy services, including the administration of intravenous (IV) medications for cancer treatments, chronic pain, heart failure, and other infections and disorders which must be treated by IV. The company provides these infusion services at home, at the workplace, in a physician's office or at a Walgreens alternate treatment site. The company also provides clinical services, such as laboratory monitoring, medication profile review, nutritional assessments and patient and caregiver education. The company’s pharmacy system offers pharmacists access to patient prescription records, which allows access to refills and emergency supplies at any of its pharmacies, eases prescription transfers, and enables any Walgreens pharmacist to provide ongoing treatment consultation. The company’s Websites allow consumers to purchase general merchandise, including beauty, personal care, home medical equipment, contact lenses, vitamins and supplements and other health and wellness solutions. Its mobile applications also allow customers to refill prescriptions through their mobile device, download weekly promotions and find the nearest Walgreens drugstore. The company also offers services through Take Care Health Systems, which manages its Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores throughout the country. Additionally, its Take Care Health Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness, occupational health, pharmacy and fitness centers at large employer campuses. Alliance Boots GmbH As of August 2, 2012, the company held a 45% investment interest in Alliance Boots GmbH, an international pharmacy-led health and beauty group. Alliance Boots GmbH delivers a range of products and services to customers, including pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing and pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution. Alliance Boots GmbH engages in international, pharmacy-led health and daily living retailing and pharmaceutical wholesal