Walgreens SWOT Analysis

IBM 301 MW 12:00PM

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History:

Walgreens was originally founded in 1901, in Chicago, as a single store

company.

Today, they are the second largest drugstore chain in the nation with

approximately 5,200 stores in 45 states; however, they are the leader in the

industry in terms of sales. In 2005, Walgreens generated 42.2 billion dollars

in sales. This figure is a milestone in that it marks the 31st year that

Walgreens has set a sales record for the industry. At $46 per square foot,

Walgreens averages twice the sales per square foot than their competitors.

In light of this success, they project 7,000 stores by 2010.

Walgreens first began in Chicago in 1901 when pharmacist Charles R.

Walgreen purchased a drugstore where he had once worked. A second store

opened in 1909, and seven years later nine stores were incorporated to form

Walgreens Corporation. Walgreens Co. became a public corporation in 1927,

and by 1953 it was the country's leading self-service. Walgreens now

operates in 47 states and Puerto Rico. The company has long been

committed to customer convenience, and in doing so Walgreens offers items

and services beyond those of a typical drugstore. These services include

drive-thru pharmacies and one-hour photo services, and many stores are

open 24 hours a day.

Walgreens has traditionally followed an organic growth strategy in

order to expand. More recently, however, it has grown through the

acquisition of companies such as the northeast chain Happy Harry's and

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Mermark, a specialty. The company's continual growth has resulted in

consistently increasing sales and earnings. In 2005 Walgreens had sales of

$47.4 billion and the company generated over $1.5 billion in earnings.
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What is SWOT analysis and why do we use it:

In the process of developing a business plan or evaluating one’s company, it is important

to determine the position of the business in relation to its environment, internally and externally.

There are many ways and techniques that can be used to determine the facts, but one of the most

effective and direct method is the SWOT analysis. It is a very popular tool with business and

marketing professionals because it is quick and easy to learn. The acronym of SWOT stands for

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Performing a SWOT analysis of business

allows you to construct better business strategies, make better marketing plans, better operational

decision, and eventually, positively affect profit margins. This simple process can be used

whether you are performing a SWOT analysis for a retail business, a wholesale business, or any

other kind of business. With the aid of a SWOT analysis, it helps find the best match between

trends in the external business environment of opportunities and threats, and internal capabilities

of strengths and weaknesses. It’s an efficient and convenient tool for reviewing an organization

and its environment. It’s the first stage of planning, helps marketers to focus on key issues, and

what needs to be improved to make the company better for your personal expectations and the

company’s long run in the future.

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Strengths

Walgreens enjoys the benefits of a smaller store format with a more

singular focus than does a supercenter and therefore, is able to focus on not

only convenience but service as well. By initiating programs such as their Rx

Savings Advisor Walgreens has enhanced its focus on the aging population.

This particular program is a tool whereby Medicare customers can identify

the most compatible Part D prescription plan within their particular region.

The Dial-a-Pharmacy” program allows customers to speak with a pharmacist

in one of fourteen languages thereby tailoring its service to reach a broad

client base in a very personal way.

Through the acquisition of Medmark Specialty Solutions, on June 30,

2006,

Walgreens can now offer its customers prescriptions that are not regularly

available in the average neighborhood pharmacy. This addition to the

Walgreen family allows customers to have both their regular prescription

needs met as well as specialty drugs without the inconvenience of traveling

to another pharmacy.

In a move to garner yet another specific market segment, the baby

boomers, the fastest growing market segment in the country, Walgreens has

aligned itself with AARP.

Partnering together they have launched a multi-year program targeting

seniors. Through events such as Ask About Your Medications organized by

AARP and held at various

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Walgreen locations customers are able to listen to their pharmacist discuss

and explain various medications. There is also a website for this program

which displays both the AARP and Walgreens logos. This joint venture has

allowed Walgreens to enhance its image as both a champion of service and

as a knowledge oriented company while gaining access to the 36 million

members of the AARP membership, with the organization’s support and

backing.

Walgreens also offers the service of in-store medical clinics. As of this

summer, in a partnership with Take Care Health Systems, Walgreens opened

more than twenty in- store clinics in Kansas City and St Louis with more

projected to open once subsequent partnerships are finalized with InterFit

Health’s RediClinic and Pinnacle Health system in other areas across the

country. These in-store clinics are conveniently located across from the

Walgreens pharmacy offering customers a diagnoses and treatment inside

the store. These services allow Walgreens to promote a strong brand image

of both service and personal attention within the healthcare industry.

The successful implementation of technology in both the store and

supply chain is a real strength for the Walgreens Company. They have

successfully implemented the use of radio frequency identification (RFID)

throughout its chain of stores. RFID allows Walgreens to monitor the impact

of sales from specific displays. The system will be installed through a multi-

year deal with Goliath Solutions and will initially have the participation of

fifteen packaged goods manufacturers. The RFID system, at the POS,

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records, in real time, valuable marketing information such as the length of

time an item is on display and where the particular display is located within

the store. This technology allows Walgreens to maximize its sales per square

foot by tailoring displays to meet each store’s needs. It also allows the fifteen

manufacturers, along with Walgreens’ buyers to see how to orientate future

promotions based on past results.

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Weaknesses

Walgreens grows organically rather than through acquisition. Rival

competitor, CVS, recently added 1,260 Eckerd drug stores to their company’s

inventory and now, as of this year, outnumbered Walgreens pharmacies. The

acquisition of Eckerd, Osco and Save-on stores has given CVS a strong

foothold in key regions such as Florida, Arizona and California. These are

favorite areas for retirees to settle.

Walgreens spends its resources building its stores from the ground up.

In comparison CVS added 1,200 in one recent deal where Walgreens’ will

only add 390 stores in 2006. Walgreens prides itself on its service and

personalized care though it jeopardizes its image when it enters the market

place by building its own stores and subsequently driving independent drug

stores and small chains out of business. They run the risk of alienating the

community when the small mom and pop stores go out of business.

The number of pharmacies in the United States is ever increasing. CVS

is the nations’ leader with 6,100 stores as of 2005 whereas Walgreens has

5,250 for the same period. The ever increasing number of pharmacies

offered in super-centers and grocery stores has expanded the market even

more. Wal-Mart, in 2005, had pharmacies in 3,600 of its stores. Walgreens

hopes to operate 7,000 stores nationwide by 2010. With the increase of

these stores and each company positioned to add even more stores,

Walgreens, along with the others, run the risk of cannibalizing their market.

Statistically, there is at least one Walgreens within a two mile radius from
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each consumer’s house. In addition, they run the risk of going into markets

that can’t sustain any more pharmacies.

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Opportunities

Within the United States the largest growing market segment is those

50 years and older. They constitute one third of the nation’s population while

controlling two thirds of its disposable income. As this population ages, they

are finding large supercenters harder to navigate; especially those who

require walkers, canes, and wheelchairs. In response to their limitations, this

generation is turning to drugstore chains to fill their prescription needs

rather than in-house pharmacies within a Wal-Mart for example. The

Walgreens chain has the opportunity to capitalize on the baby boomers’

demand for more convenient and accessible service.

Seniors are value oriented while still demanding quality therefore; they

are more likely to buy generic products from a trusted pharmacy such as

Walgreens. If Walgreens were to expand their inventory of generic products

they could potentially see an increase in customer purchases while widening

their consumer base.

In addition, this aging population is proactive when it comes to their

health. They take advantage of preventative measures to control the aging

process, such as foot and skin care. The sale of skin care products such as

firming and antiwrinkle creams have risen 8.2% percent in 2005. Within the

same period the sale of generic skincare products increased 25% reflecting

the trend of a more value conscious senior clientele.

This market segment is also more technologically savvy. With the use

of the
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Internet, they are able to research alternative therapies such as supplements

and vitamins to promote and sustain their health. As a trusted and

convenient drugstore, Walgreens has the opportunity to actualize their

consumer demands. In an effort to meet this generations’ health care needs

and simultaneously satisfy their desire for sophisticated and value oriented

products Walgreens has introduced generic, and private label vitamins and

supplements.

One third of Walgreens sales come from general merchandise. In

response to this growing demand, Walgreens has brought in beauty lines

such as the European Beauty Collection to 1,000 of their top selling stores.

To promote their expanded beauty concept, Walgreens Co. has added make-

up test stations and counters to their stores.(Kelly Nolan,Fall 2006) In the US,

Walgreens is the second largest beauty retailer in the industry. Sales from

beauty products contribute 12% of Walgreens Co. total sales. This figure is

significantly higher than the average within the industry(Edgar,6/30/2006) .

Walgreens has teamed up with TonerHead, in a joint venture, to put

equipment in

Walgreens stores that will refill ink cartridges, for its customers. Currently,

the equipment is in place in 1,500 of Walgreens Co.’s 5,200 stores. This

service provides its customers with convenience and a service that office

supply stores aren’t willing to implement out of fear that they will cannibalize

their own profits. The quality of the refilled ink cartridges may not be as good

as a new cartridge however, Walgreens customers are value and

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convenience oriented and the stores have found that their refill stations

meet their customer’s needs. (DSN Retailing Today, 4/24/2006) These

additions to Walgreens services have positioned the company to be a future

destination for products other than pharmaceuticals.

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Threats

There has been a $3.6 billion cut from Medicaid which lowered the

reimbursement rate, to pharmacies, for the sale of generic drugs. The

checks, that pharmacies such as Walgreens received twice a month, have

been cut in half. The cashflow problems that pharmacies are experiencing

will only be aggravated, in 2007, when the cut takes place.(Wendy Toth,

2/20/06) The reality is that Walgreens will subsequently lose money on every

Medicaid prescription it fills.

Independent investigations have been initiated by the US Department

of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights and the Indiana Attorney

General’s Office into the disposal of patient information. Even after

Walgreens had issued instructions to its pharmacies, on the proper disposal

of patient information, personal data was still discovered in unlocked

dumpsters behind stores. As a result, Walgreens maybe facing fines for their

violation of the breech of patient prescription privacy.

Although chain drugstores such as Walgreens have higher pharmacy

sales than do supercenters, the supercenters’ sales are growing at a higher

rate than chain pharmacies. As of 2005, Wal-Mart operated 3,600

pharmacies within its supercenters and is making them a fixture in its stores’

layout. Currently Wal-Mart is third in sales, behind CVS and Walgreens.(Chain

Drug Review, 5/1/05) As the supercenters and other retailers such as Meijer

offer discounted generic prescriptions, they are building a noticeable client

base. Meijer is launching a program where they offer discounts on

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prescriptions that are most commonly filled for children. Wal-Mart likewise

sells generics at a discount and in some cases charging only $4 for some.
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Recommendations:

Walgreens has a strong customer base. What they need to do is

constantly rethink what other needs they can satisfy for their customers.

Capitalizing on the aging baby boomer generation, who seeks preventive

therapies and is value oriented they can offer an expanded inventory of

generic products or private labels in skincare items, hair color products, foot

care and vitamins.

Though Walgreens has added upscale beauty products such as the

European Beauty Collection, to its beauty offerings, they have not really

addressed the higher end beauty/grooming needs of men. Men also have

prescriptions filled at Walgreens and therefore, if the store offered men’s

grooming products such as higher end aftershave, shaving cream, razors and

shaving products they could increase sales as well as their base.

Modifying store design would also accommodate Walgreens' growing

segment of older customers. Reducing crowding by revising inventory

selection, along with improved signage and lighting, would make Walgreens

stores easier to shop for all customers. Providing a comfortable waiting area

would also be an added feature for pharmacy customers. Additionally, this

would create an opportunity to increase impulse purchases by strategically

placing promotional materials and displaying impulse items near this area.

In order to further focus on convenience and maintain its number one

market position, Walgreens must also concentrate on expanding its online

services. Online services add convenience and contribute to Walgreens’

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brand image while allowing the company to achieve the benefits of a

multichannel strategy.
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