WALGREENS

DEERFIELD, Ill. — With more than 4 billion steps logged by Walk with Walgreens participants in the program’s first year, Walgreens on Sunday night teamed with Donald Trump and "The Celebrity Apprentice" to promote more healthy steps in 2012. Walk with Walgreens also partnered with the Magic Johnson Foundation on Monday behind a national campaign where Walgreens retail locations will be selling a commemorative charity bracelet with $2 from each purchase benefitting the Magic Johnson Foundation.

DEERFIELD, Ill. and WATERTOWN, Mass. — Take Care Health Systems, which is owned by Walgreens, and Tufts Health Plan have announced the opening of a workplace health center called the BeWell Center, which offers wellness and preventive care, symptom care and laboratory services to Tufts Health Plan employees and contractors.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and the National Urban League on Wednesday launched the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with National Urban League as a charitable component of the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment. The national tour provides free health resources to residents in urban and minority communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable diseases, the companies stated. The service is free and insurance will not be billed.

Move over dump bins, endcap displays and newspaper circulars and make room for the new high-tech kid on the retail block — digitization.
Smartphones and the concept of digital coupons may not be so new, but what is relatively new to the mass market and becoming increasingly pervasive throughout the industry is the use of mobile technologies and social networking platforms — by both retailers and manufacturers — to customize offers for today’s shopper.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — On the eve of a potential Federal Trade Commission approval of the Express Scripts-Medco merger, Walgreens' underlying fundamentals still are strong, Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson told analysts Tuesday morning. It's that underlying strength that has helped Walgreens in the wake of its exit from the Express Scripts pharmacy benefit network, a factor that impacted Walgreens' net earnings by 7 cents per diluted share for its second quarter ended Feb. 29.

NEW YORK — Walgreens and Duane Reade stores are facing off on a challenge regarding which banner can raise the most funds over a four-week period in the fall in support of the American Diabetes Association Greater New York City Area, the ADA announced Monday.

Duane Reade will conduct the campaign in October and Walgreens will conduct the campaign in November.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that CVS/pharmacy is closing all of its upscale Beauty360 stores may have raised a few eyebrows — or perhaps not — but now it will be interesting to see the changes that occur in store and online in beauty.

(THE NEWS: CVS/pharmacy to close all Beauty360 locations. For the full story, click here)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Former Walgreens' CEO Jeff Rein said profit pressure might cause Walgreens to think differently about acquisitions than it did in the past. The loss of Express Scripts patients (who are incidentally taking their prescriptions to the nearest Walgreens competitor), coupled with a significant generic wave through 2012 — moreso in the back half of the year — potentially could keep Walgreens from posting a profit through fiscal 2012. "Walgreens is in a real poor position here," Rein said.