Walgreens expresses support of diversity in series of YouTube videos

 

 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Thursday released a series of YouTube videos explaining facets of the chain's operations — healthcare, omnichannel retailing and store operations — and how each of those areas support diverse communities. 

 

"Walgreens is meeting the critical needs of healthcare access by doing two things from a service or needs perspective," said Jeff Kang, Walgreens SVP health and wellness. The first is helping the uninsured get health insurance on the Health Exchange. And second, Walgreens provides convenient access to basic primary care services in its stores. But more important, Walgreens provider base of pharmacists and practitioners is culturally diverse. "That's really the power of Walgreens," Kang added. "Through our stores we actually mirror the communities we're serving, speak their language, reflect their race and cultures, and that's really what makes us very effective in meeting the critical needs of healthcare access in this country."

 

 

 

Sona Chawla, president, digital and chief marketing officer for Walgreens, explained how Walgreens serves a diverse customer base utilizing deep customer insights. "Our customer insights help us understand how ... customer behavior is evolving," she said. "We're able to do what Charles Walgreen envisioned all the way back in 1901, provide that kind of unique and distinct customer care [and] we're able to scale that across our 8,000-plus locations and all of our different channels."

 

 

 

"Walgreens supports economic development in many of America's diverse communities," said Mark Wagner, president, operations and community management for Walgreens, on the company's commitment to supplier diversity and economic development. Walgreens does that in a number of ways, Wagner said, including the hiring of a diverse community to both build and staff its stores, as well as buying goods and services from minority-owned and woman-owned companies. "There's no other retailer that has the reach into the diverse communities across America like Walgreens, so when we say we can move the needle, we can move it in a big way."