Walgreens to expand headquarters, add 500 jobs

New York -- Walgreens has agreed to create 500 jobs in Illinois over three years and invest $75 million to expand and renovate more than two dozen of its corporate offices, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois Governor Quinn offered the company an estimated $46 million in corporate income tax credits over 10 years, $625,000 in training funds and an additional $875,000 in other tax incentives, the report said. The tax credits are tied to the company's retention of 1,500 jobs in Illinois. It has 5,000 corporate jobs in the state. Walgreens’ total Illinois workforce, including store employees, is 24,000.

"Walgreens has deep roots in Illinois and is an important part of the region's flourishing health care hub," Quinn said in a statement. "This expansion will create good paying jobs, attract additional investment to the area and help fuel our economic recovery."

The chain plans on hiring professionals at its corporate offices in its accounting, finance, marketing and e-commerce departments, among others, the report said.