WALGREENS

Red Nose Day, the national fundraising campaign to end child poverty, will return to NBC with a night of special primetime programming on Thursday, May 24, 2018, Walgreens announced Wednesday.

Who is today’s shopper? It’s a simple question with a very difficult and complex answer. The fact is that shoppers are difficult to pigeonhole these days. They have access to more information than ever before, and their expectations are changing constantly.

The flu is picking up in Texas, according to the latest Walgreens Flu Index released Wednesday. 

While the data does not measure actual levels or severity of flu activity, the Flu Index provides valuable insight by showing which cities or metropolitan areas are experiencing the most incidences of influenza each week based on Index methodology, the pharmacy retailer stated.

Walgreens is using its popular app to help consumers connect to many brands of fitness trackers outside of the store. The retailer, which is marketing Striiv, its own branded activity tracker, allows members of the company’s Balance Rewards program to also connect through 40 different devices and 27 apps, according to the Walgreen’s website.

Are retail pharmacies late to the party when it comes to the health wearables market?

The booming category, which includes such devices as activity trackers and chronic pain relief devices, offers mass retailers — especially those operating a pharmacy — an opportunity to build sales and profits, not to mention a stronger relationship with consumers seeking answers. But, thus far, it appears that other retailers, as well as the digital marketplace, have outpaced retail pharmacy operators in this category.

Investment firm KKR and minority investor Walgreens Boots Alliance, based in Deerfield, Ill., on Thursday closed its acquisition of PharMerica, a provider of specialty pharmacy services.

The deal, first announced in August, was closed ahead of schedule. The all-cash transaction is valued at roughly $1.4 billion and will make PharMerica a private company. In connection with the completion of the acquisition, shares of PharMerica’s common stock will cease trading on the NYSE prior to the opening of the NYSE on Dec. 8, 2017.

Walgreens Boots Alliance on Wednesday extended its retail pharmacy acumen into China by taking a 40% stake in Sinopharm Holding GuoDa Drugstores in a deal worth approximately $416 million.