Walgreen Co.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday launched @WAGSocialCare, a Twitter customer hotline that takes on complaints and praise from Walgreens customers via the social media site. The site is being followed only by 20 "tweeters" through Monday, as compared with the more-than 90,000 who follow Walgreens' corporate Twitter account.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens is following in the footsteps of the likes of Target and Walmart in offering a digital edition of its weekly advertising circular that will offer additional items through Walgreens.com and the company's mobile applications.

The Sunday circular — read by more than 50 million consumers, according to Walgreens — also will get a new look and feel, designed to improve the shopping experience.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said its same-store sales in January fell 4.6% in the wake of its decision to stop doing business with a major  pharmacy benefits manager. A weak flu season also figured into its results.

Walgreen stopped filling prescriptions for patients in the Express Scripts network on December 31, 2011. Pharmacy same-store sales were down 7.9% in January.
 

Deerfield, Ill. -- BioScrip Inc. said it will sell certain assets of its community specialty pharmacies and centralized specialty and mail service pharmacy businesses to Walgreens for about $225 million.

The deal includes about $170 million in cash at closing and retention by BioScrip of associated accounts receivable and working capital liabilities of about $55 million.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens will acquire the prescription files and inventory from 33 Kmart pharmacies in 16 states.

Walgreens will purchase the pharmacy patient files and transfer them to nearby Walgreens pharmacies. Patients whose prescription files are being transferred and who have had a prescription filled within the last two years will be notified by letter once the transaction has been completed later in February.
 

NAPLES, Fla. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association has appointed new members to its board of directors, including a new board chairman.

RILA said Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was appointed RILA chairman of the board. Steinhafel, who previously served as vice chairman, succeeds Bill Rhodes, who currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was elected chairman of the board of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).

Steinhafel previously served as the board’s vice chairman and in his new capacity succeeds former RILA board chairman Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone. 

Deerfield, Ill. — Walgreens has transformed 68 locations in the Indianpolis market into health and daily living destinations.

The drug store chain hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at a store located on 16th and Meridian in Indianapolis. On hand at the ceremony were Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson, former Indianpolis Colts coach Tony Dungy and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.

The stores are part of Walgreens' pilot program that launched last year in Chicago.