(Source: The Virgin Islands Daily News)By Michael Todd, The Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas
Aug. 16--ST. THOMAS -- Walgreens is building a 15,660-square-foot store that is expected to open in fall 2012 across from McDonald's and Tutu Park Mall.
It will be the national drug store chain's first store in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A typical Walgreens stores 18,000 items: medications, groceries, over-the-counter health products, greeting cards, cosmetics, household goods and photo-finishing services.
In addition, Walgreens pharmacists offer a full array of vaccinations through its pharmacy, according to Walgreens spokesman Robert Elfinger.
The store will create 25 to 30 jobs on St. Thomas, offering the following positions: store management positions, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, photo specialists, beauty advisers and service clerks, Elfinger said.
"People can go to Walgreens.jobs to fill out an application at any time," Elfinger said.
Although the St. Thomas store's hours have not been decided, Elfinger said most Walgreens serve customers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, with some variation of weekend service.
"On Saturday and Sunday it could be less; it really does vary depending on the location," he said of pharmacy hours. "It could be open for an eight- or nine-hour span."
The store will include a drive-through pharmacy and offer services besides retail sales, according to Elfinger.
"We also offer health screenings," he said. "And we will be bringing events to the store."
Walgreens operates 108 stores in Puerto Rico.
The company is working with local vendors to provide products specific to the health and daily living needs of St. Thomas customers, Elfinger said.
"We're committed to offering a broad selection of local products," said Nivia Santiago, Walgreens market vice-president. "We'll learn from our local vendors what is important to local customers -- and that will be reflected in our merchandise."
Virgin Islands' vendors with products they feel are right for Walgreens stores can send an email to stthomas.vs@walgreens.com.
"With a fast-growing, over-65 population, the need for pharmacy and related health services is expanding on St. Thomas," said Charles Bernard, Walgreens corporate vice-president of Southeast Operations. "We'll help meet those needs with services that are currently hard to find or don't exist in the market."
All Walgreens pharmacies share a prescription database that will allow visitors to buy refills on St. Thomas and give locals the chance to get prescriptions at other Walgreens store locations while they are on vacation, Elfinger said.
Elfinger said that Walgreens is the largest retail drug store chain in the United States, with fiscal 2010 sales of $67 billion.
The company operates 7,742 drugstores in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
"Anywhere we do have stores, we are very active members of the community," Elfinger said.
- Contact reporter Michael Todd at 774-8772 ext. 304 or email mtodd@dailynews.vi.
To see more of The Virgin Islands Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/.
Copyright (c) 2011, The Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas
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