Walgreens is gearing up to sell beer and wine at its Clark County pharmacy stores beginning in March.
On Tuesday, the company applied for liquor licenses through the Washington state Liquor Control Board to sell beer and wine at all 13 of its local stores. The move is part of a national initiative started in 2009 by Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co., said Robert Elfinger, a company spokesman.
“We’re looking to put a moderate selection of beer and wine in our stores throughout the country,” he said.
Elfinger said Walgreens already carries beer and wine at stores in several states, including Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin and Oregon. The company operates nearly 7,150 stores in 50 states.
Walgreen Co. opened its first Clark County store in 2001. In 2003, it bought 11 stores from Vancouver-based Hi-School Pharmacy Inc. and converted most of the sites to the Walgreens’ corner convenience-store model.
The convenience-store concept includes plans to sell domestic beer and wine.
“Our customer wants more of a one-stop shopping experience where they don’t have to make several stops,” Elfinger said.
60-day wait
State applications to sell beer and wine typically take about 60 days to process, which would allow the local Walgreens stores to start selling the spirits in March, said Brian Smith, a spokesman for the Washington state Liquor Control Board in Olympia.
“If there is a problem, then it could go longer,” he said.
Smith said the liquor control board performs background checks on companies to look for past problems with liquor sales.
“If there are not any problems the license will take about 60 days,” he said.
Grocery store prices
Elfinger said he expects Walgreens will follow grocery store guidelines for pricing its beer and wine products.
“The selection will really mirror what a grocery store has, although we won’t have as big a selection,” Elfinger said.
He said beer and wine would take up less than two percent of the shelf space in each Walgreens store. The stores offer pharmacy services, photo processing, health products, cosmetics and a small selection of fresh and pre-packaged groceries.
Elfinger said Walgreens will not sell 40-ounce single cans of beer, malt beer or fortified wines — those to which a distilled beverage (usually brandy) has been added to increase the alcohol content.
Elfinger said his company does not see a conflict of interest in the pharmacy selling alcohol and other addictive products, such as cigarettes, also sold at Walgreens.
“These products have become part of the American mainstream. We’re just keeping up with customer demand,” Elfinger said.
