Walgreens opens 7,000th store

Deerfield, Ill. Walgreens is celebrating the grand opening Thursday of its 7,000th store nationwide, near the Coney Island amusement area in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In the past decade, Walgreens has grown from 3,000 stores to reach its goal of operating 7,000 stores by 2010. With more than 7,040 drug stores currently in operation, Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain both in store count and sales.

As part of the grand opening, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour is offering free health screenings to all adult attendees and flu shot vouchers to uninsured adults in the store’s parking lot today. The appearance by the customized, traveling health-screening bus is part of a nationwide tour of nine vehicles to deliver free health screenings across the country for early detection and prevention of diseases, as well as health education.