Walgreen Co. has completed its $409 million purchase of drugstore.com, the Bellevue online seller of medicine, vitamins and beauty products. As a result of the deal, Walgreens President of e-commerce Sona Chawla will oversee the company’s online efforts. Dawn Lepore, the former drugstore.com CEO and chairman, will serve as an advisor to Chawla during a transition period.
Walgreens plans to retain the drugstore.com brands, and it will operate the company’s corporate offices and customer service and distribution centers as a result of the deal.
Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson said in a release that the addition of drugstore.com’s employees, customers and technologies will help bolster the $67 billion retailer.
“drugstore.com complements Walgreens center of gravity — our 7,700 drugstores ― by extending many of our own multi-channel initiatives that have been driving our growth,” Wasson said. “This acquisition also provides us a unique opportunity to access more than 3 million savvy, online loyal customers, and move even closer to our existing customers through relationships with new vendors and partners, adding approximately 60,000 products to our already strong online offering.”
Lepore, a former executive at Charles Schwab, joined drugstore.com in 2004.
