Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) is a big American company that owns the Walgreens pharmacy stores in the United States and the Boots pharmacy stores in the United Kingdom. They also own some companies that make and distribute medicines.
This company started on December 31, 2014, when Walgreens bought the remaining 55% of Alliance Boots that they didn’t already own. They paid $4.9 billion in cash and gave 144.3 million common shares worth $10.7 billion for it.
Before that, in August 2012, Walgreens had bought 45% of Alliance Boots for $4.0 billion and 83.4 million common shares. They had an option to buy the rest within three years. After these deals were done, Walgreens became a part of this new company.
In 2022, Walgreens Boots Alliance had sales of $132.7 billion, which was a small increase from the previous year. They also made a profit of $4.3 billion. This company does business in nine countries as of August 31, 2022. Before, Walgreens only worked in the United States, while Alliance Boots worked in more countries.
This company started trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange on December 31, 2014, with the symbol WBA. On June 26, 2018, Walgreens Boots Alliance took the place of General Electric on the Dow Jones Industrial Index. They are also part of the Nasdaq-100 and the S&P 500 indices.
Retail Pharmacy Operations in USA
Walgreens and Duane Reade are part of the Retail Pharmacy USA division of Walgreens Boots Alliance. These businesses sell both prescription and non-prescription drugs, along with various household items like personal care and beauty products.
Walgreens operates retail drugstores across the United States, offering consumer goods, pharmacy services, a photo department, and health and wellness services. As of August 31, 2020, this division had 9,021 drugstores. Walgreens also used to run several online stores, including Beauty.com, Drugstore.com, VisionDirect.com, and Walgreens.com.
Walgreens has a presence in all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Back in October 27, 2015, Walgreens announced plans to acquire its competitor, Rite Aid, for $17.2 billion. However, this deal faced antitrust concerns and was later replaced by a $5.18 billion deal where Walgreens acquired only half of Rite Aid’s locations.
On September 19, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a fourth agreement, allowing Walgreens to purchase 1,932 Rite Aid stores for a total of $4.38 billion. This transaction was completed in January 2018.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Retail Pharmacy International
Boots is a significant part of the Retail Pharmacy International division of the company. The Boots brand has a long history, spanning over 170 years in the United Kingdom (UK) and is a well-known presence on British high streets. You can find Boots stores in prominent locations on the high street, in city centers, and local communities. Most of these stores have a pharmacy and focus on healthcare, personal care, and beauty products, including over-the-counter medicines. Larger Boots stores often provide various healthcare services alongside prescription services. These services can include chlamydia testing and treatment (a private service). Many larger Boots stores also have optician services, where Boots Opticians offer eye tests and sell eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Additionally, you’ll find traditional photo processing in many Boots stores, as well as Cewe picture kiosks. These kiosks allow users of digital cameras and camera phones to create photo prints through Bluetooth, USB, or CD. Larger Boots stores may offer a range of electrical equipment like hairdryers, curlers, and foot massagers. Some selected stores also provide a selection of sandwiches, baguettes, wraps, salads, and beverages.
Boots expanded internationally starting in 1936, but some of its stores in countries like New Zealand, Canada (known as Pharma Plus), and France were closed in the 1980s. However, as of 2022, Boots-branded stores can be found outside the UK in Ireland, Norway, and Thailand. There are also Boots franchise operations in the Middle East and Indonesia.
The remaining part of the Retail Pharmacy International division includes the pharmacies Benavides in Mexico and Farmacias Ahumada (FASA) in Chile.
Former operations of Walgreens Boots Alliance Retail Pharmacy
After acquiring Alliance Boots, the company expanded its operations significantly, including a pharmaceutical wholesale division. This division was responsible for making twice-daily deliveries to over 16,500 delivery points in the UK alone. On the international front, the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division, primarily operating under the Alliance Healthcare brand, supplied medicines, healthcare products, and related services to more than 115,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centers, and hospitals annually. This extensive distribution network encompassed 306 distribution centers across 11 countries.
However, in June 2021, a significant part of the Alliance Healthcare wholesale division underwent a major change. It was sold to AmerisourceBergen for a total of $6.275 billion in cash. This transaction marked a significant development in the company’s operations and strategic direction in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry.
Product brands of Walgreens Boots Alliance
Boots produces a wide range of brands, including No. 7, Soltan, Botanics, Boots Pharmaceuticals, and Boots Laboratories. These brands were targeted for international expansion after the initial share purchase in 2012 by Alliance Boots and Walgreens.
1. No. 7:
Launched in 1935, No. 7 is well-known for its anti-aging beauty serums, developed in Nottingham. The product range is designed to address aging concerns for specific age groups. No. 7 became available in Walgreens and Duane Reade stores in the US starting in November 2012, initially in Los Angeles.
2. Soltan:
Introduced in 1939, Soltan is known for its UVA 5-star suncare protection, which became a standard developed by Boots and widely adopted as the benchmark for sun protection products in the UK. However, in both 2004 and 2015, investigations by BBC’s Watchdog and the consumer magazine Which? found that the SPF rating on Soltan products was lower than stated on the packaging in their tests.
3. Botanics:
First launched in 1995, the Botanics range is developed in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It incorporates plant extracts into various products, including a range of organic items. The Boots Botanics range is also available through third-party retailers.
4. Boots Own Brand:
Boots offers a broad range of own-brand products, including skincare, medicines, healthcare items, and more. The Boots Laboratories, a skincare range for independent pharmacy customers, was introduced in France and Portugal in 2008/09 and is also sold in Spain, Italy, and Germany.
5. Almus Pharmaceuticals:
Boots owns Almus Pharmaceuticals, a brand specializing in generic prescription drugs launched in 2003. It is available in five countries and is known for its packaging design, which aims to reduce errors related to incorrect dosage.
6. Well at Walgreens:
Walgreens has its line of self-branded products under the “Well at Walgreens” name.
7. Liz Earle:
In 2015, Walgreens Boots Alliance acquired UK skincare brand Liz Earle Naturally Active from Avon Products for £140 million (approximately $250 million). Liz Earle, co-founder of the brand, remained as an ambassador and consultant after the sale. She later announced her departure from the company in 2012.
These brands and products represent a diverse range of offerings within the healthcare, beauty, and personal care sectors.
Living Purpose, Vision and Values
Walgreens Boots Alliance are boldly committed to creating a better world through health and wellness. See how they’re making this a reality through their brand purpose, company vision and core values.
- Purpose: More joyful lives through better health.
- Vision: To be the leading partner in re-imagining local healthcare and well-being for all.
Leadership Team of Walgreens Boots Alliance
Propelling the company and the industry forward takes passion and expertise. Meet the people leading the way.
Board of Directors
- Stefano Pessina
- Executive Chairman, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Ginger L. Graham
- Interim Chief Executive Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Janice M. Babiak
- Former Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
- Inderpal S. Bhandari
- Former Global Chief Data Officer, IBM Corporation
- Bryan C. Hanson
- Chief Executive Officer, 3M Health Care Business Group
- Valerie B. Jarrett
- Chief Executive Officer, Obama Foundation
- John A. Lederer
- Senior Advisor, Sycamore Partners
- Dominic Murphy
- Co-Head of UK Investments, CVC Capital Partners
- Tom Polen
- Chairman, President and CEO, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company.
- Nancy M. Schlichting
- Former Chief Executive Officer, Henry Ford Health System
Executive Committee – U.S.-Based
- Former Chief Executive Officer, Henry Ford Health System
- Ginger L. Graham
- Interim Chief Executive Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Kevin Ban, M.D.
- Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Tracey Brown
- Executive Vice President and President, Walgreens Retail and Chief Customer Officer
- John Driscoll
- Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Healthcare
- Danielle Gray
- Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Manmohan Mahajan
- Interim Global Chief Financial Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Holly May
- Executive Vice President and Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Rick Gates
- Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Walgreen Co.
- Charles V. Greener
- Senior Vice President and Global Chief Public Affairs Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Beth Leonard
- Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- Hsiao Wang
- Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. Executive Committee – Based Internationally
- Ornella Barra
- Chief Operating Officer, International, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
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