<Tr> <Th> Parent </Th> <Td> Walgreens Boots Alliance (2014--present) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> walgreens.com </Td> </Tr> <P> The Walgreen Company (simply Walgreens, or sometimes archaically Walgreen) is an American company which operates as the second - largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health . It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, and photo services . As of August 31, 2016, the company operated 8,175 stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands . It was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1901 . The Walgreens headquarters office is in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois . </P> <P> In 2014, the company agreed to purchase the remaining 55% of Switzerland - based Alliance Boots that it did not already own to form a global business . Under the terms of the purchase, the two companies merged to form a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., on December 31, 2014 . Walgreens became a subsidiary of the new company, which retains its Deerfield headquarters and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBA . </P>

Is walgreens and cvs owned by the same company