"We're looking for the opportunity to roll out beer and wine only in most stores and probably chainwide eventually," spokesperson Tiffani Washington told the newspaper. "We're working on applying for licenses...city by city."
No formal license applications have been [image-nocss] made in Wisconsin, but Walgreens officials have started contacting state and local government officials to review regulations, Washington said.
Walgreens, which has 6,902 outlets nationally, is starting its Wisconsin efforts in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee aldermen said Walgreens liquor applications would be judged on a case-by-case basis, but several expected objections.
Alderman Robert Bauman said he would consider each application separately. "I think they will have a problem getting past the concentration issues, especially in neighborhoods...where there are already a lot of places where liquor is sold," he said. "I think it will be very location-specific."
Each Walgreens store would have to apply for a separate liquor license.
Washington said Walgreens would offer a selection of six packs of beer and a selection of wine in a cooler adjacent to sodas.
"It's another convenience for our customers and not an attempt to pull in new customers," she said. "Pharmacy is our first business, but it's something many of our competitors are doing."
Beer, wine and, in some cases, small amounts of liquor have been available in "a handful" of Walgreens stores in the southwestern U.S., but the company de-emphasized that part of the business in the 1980s, Washington said. Now, based on research and competitive factors, Walgreens has decided to re-visit the idea, she said.
Meanwhile, Walgreens celebrated the grand opening of its first store in Alaska and its presence in all 50 states on July 12, at the ribbon cutting for its new store in Wasilla, Alaska. It is the only 24-hour pharmacy in the state.
The Wasilla store, along with two Anchorage locations that will open in August, includes products from local vendors, including coffee and moose nuggets to ulus and fishing supplies. All three Walgreens Alaska stores opening this summer will offer drive-thru pharmacies, as well as heated sidewalks, heated parking spaces for people with disabilities and heated aprons around the front doors.
Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage of Walgreens.
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