Walgreen Co.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- Walgreens announced that it has partnered with NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products to launch an exclusive line of “The Biggest Loser”-branded meal alternative bars and shakes. According to a company press release, the line of products, named for the popular NBC weight-loss reality show, will be offered in all of the more than 7,600 Walgreens stores nationwide beginning in May.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said its same-store sales rose 3.4% in April. But analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected, on average, that revenue at those stores had risen 3.6%.

Walgreen said pharmacy comp-store sales were up 1.8%, below analysts' estimate of 2.4%. The company said the results were hurt by 1.9 percentage points because of a calendar shift and the move of the allergy drug Allegra from prescription to over-the-counter status.

Deerfield, Ill.  -- Walgreen Co. has agreed to buy 10 Carle RxExpress pharmacies in east central Illinois.

The chain did not disclose terms of the deal. It expects the sale to close by July. Walgreen said it will continue to run six of the pharmacies and will consolidate a seventh into the others. It will close three other locations and transfer prescription files and inventory to nearby Walgreen locations.

The stores are currently owned by The Carle Foundation, a not-for-profit company based in Urbana, Ill.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — As part of Earth Month in Illinois, Gov. Patrick Quinn Tuesday morning toured a Walgreens drug store in Oak Park, Ill., that features the first geothermal energy system used in a chain drug store in the country, Walgreens stated in a release.

The system, which went live when the store opened last October, has reduced the store's expected energy usage by 60%.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday helped launch the nation’s first privately funded and comprehensive electric vehicle charging network with an initial station at the Walgreens drug store at Belt Line Road and Montfort Drive in Dallas.

The drug store retailer is working with NRG Energy to install high-powered rapid charging eVgo Freedom Stations at 18 locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens helped launch the nation’s first privately funded and comprehensive electric vehicle charging network with an initial station at its drug store at Belt Line Road and Montfort Drive in Dallas. The retailer is working with NRG Energy to install high-powered rapid charging eVgosm Freedom Stations at 18 locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth area,

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday reported March sales of $6.3 billion, an increase of 7.6%. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 280 basis points to the total sales increase for the month.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said Tuesday that sales for the month of March rose 7.6% to $6.28 billion, compared with $5.83 billion in the year-ago period.

Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 2.8% to the total sales increase for the month.

Same-store sales rose 3% in March, not including Duane Reade stores. Results topped Wall Street expectations.

Walgreens opened 12 stores during March, including three relocations, acquired one store and closed two.

NEW YORK -- If consumers were hesitant about providing personal information to retailers, they have even more reason to be paranoid as marketing firm Epsilon reported a number of breaches at several of its clients.

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — Sundial has announced that Walgreens has become the exclusive national drug store retail partner for its SheaMoisture hair care line and will carry the products on shelf and online, beginning April 1.

"We are very excited to launch our newest collection at Walgreens," stated Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO of Sundial Creations, maker of SheaMoisture. "They have been a key partner in the growth of our business and we are enthusiastic about bringing organic hair care products to such a broad consumer base."