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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens, looking to meet the changing needs of the consumer, has been rolling out small-format pharmacies with fewer front-of-store items and over-the-counter medicines. In 2019 the company started testing small format stores that are about 20-25% the size of a typical store.
The small-format stores have assortments curated to their neighborhoods and mostly offer Walgreens-brand products in the health and wellness categories rather than the wider assortments of products found in their typical store. This includes items like vitamins, over-the-counter medications and first aid type products. There is a limited selection of consumables, including “better for you” drink and snack options.
The company has opened about 100 mini drugstores focused on health and wellness and featuring store-brand merchandise and plans to add more this year.
Walgreens spokesperson Molly Sheehan said shopper preferences are shifting, and the company aims “to meet them where, when and how they want to shop.”
"We are routinely testing new concepts, technologies and workflows that can help improve the customer and team member experience. Shoppers are making deliberate choices to seek greater value, therefore resulting in shifting behavior and preferences. We’re responding by making investments in key value items and concepts, leveraging capabilities to engage with customers in an intelligent, targeted way to meet them where, when and how they want to shop," she said.
Walgreens also is testing a store in Chicago that has digital kiosks where customers place orders. A separate desk offers pickup of items ordered at the kiosks or online.
With a distinctly different layout from traditional Walgreens stores that includes a dedicated Order Pickup area, self-checkout stands and digital kiosks staffed by Walgreens team members, you might find yourself double-checking the sign outside to make sure you’ve come to the right place.
The location is part of two store tests taking place in Chicago and Aubrey, Texas—outside Dallas—as centers for store and pharmacy innovation, with the two locations offering different design concepts with separate testing objectives.
“We are always looking to test new concepts, technologies and practices that can help improve the customer, patient and team member experience,” said Sheehan. “The Chicago store is testing a digital-forward model that’s responsive to the changing omnichannel shopping patterns of our customers, while the store in Aubrey provides a fresh look at health and wellness that’s consistent with customer demands.”
