Walgreens and Alliance Boots merged to form Walgreens Boots Alliance on 31 December 2014, creating the world’s first global pharmacy-led health and wellbeing enterprise. The new global company combines Walgreens, the largest drugstore chain in the USA; Boots, the market leader in European retail pharmacy, and Alliance Healthcare, the leading international wholesaler and distributor. Together, Walgreens Boots Alliance spans more than 25 countries, and has over 12,800 stores, over 370,000 employees and more than 340 pharmaceutical distribution centres serving more than 180,000 pharmacies and other points of care.

The new company’s vision is to be ‘the first choice for pharmacy, wellbeing and beauty, caring for people and communities around the world’, while its main aim is to help people lead healthier and happier lives. The company also hopes that its broader scope will put it in a unique position to help shape the healthcare industry agenda and address the challenges of rising drugs costs, ageing populations and medication adherence.