Walgreens Boots Alliance

Retail Pharmacy and HealthcareFounded 1901- HQ today: Deerfield, Illinois

Founders

Who Founded Walgreens Boots Alliance?

Charles R. Walgreen Sr. · Founded 1901 · HQ today: Deerfield, Illinois

Who founded Walgreens Boots Alliance?

Walgreens Boots Alliance was founded by Charles R. Walgreen Sr. in 1901. It is now led by Mike Motz.

Founders: Charles R. Walgreen Sr.
Founded: 1901
Headquarters: Deerfield, Illinois
Number of founders: 1
Current CEO: Mike Motz (since 2025)

Where was Walgreens Boots Alliance founded?: Walgreens Boots Alliance was founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States in 1901.
When was Walgreens Boots Alliance founded?: Walgreens Boots Alliance was founded in 1901.
Who started Walgreens Boots Alliance?: Walgreens Boots Alliance was founded by Charles R. Walgreen Sr.
How old is Walgreens Boots Alliance?: Walgreens Boots Alliance is 125 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Charles R. Walgreen Sr., a pharmacist, bought the Chicago drugstore where he worked in 1901 at Cottage Grove and Bowen avenues on the South Side. He added stores across Chicago, produced some of his own drug products and made soda fountains a draw; a Walgreens employee, Ivar "Pop" Coulson, is credited with popularizing the malted milkshake in 1922. The chain listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange in 1927 and kept expanding nationally through the 20th century.

Charles R. Walgreen Sr.

Co-founder 1901

Background

Pharmacist from Illinois who worked in Chicago drugstores and served in the Spanish-American War before buying his own store.

Role at Walgreens Boots Alliance

Charles R. Walgreen Sr. bought the Chicago drugstore where he worked in 1901 and built it into a citywide, then national, chain. His stores emphasized clean, well-stocked layouts, house-made products and soda fountains, and the company listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange in 1927. He led Walgreens until shortly before his death in 1939.

Charles R. Walgreen Sr. was born in 1873 in Knoxville. Education: Dixon High School.

Walgreens Boots Alliance: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Mike Motz

Walgreens CEO

2025 – Present

Leads Walgreens as a private standalone pharmacy company focused on core pharmacy and store-level performance.

Tim Wentworth

Former WBA CEO

2023 – 2025

Led the final public-company period; remained a director after the transaction. Previously led Express Scripts.

Rosalind Brewer

Chief Executive Officer

2021 – 2023

She invested in VillageMD and other healthcare services. She stepped down in September 2023 and Tim Wentworth succeeded her.

Stefano Pessina

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2021

He bought about 1,900 Rite Aid stores. Rosalind Brewer succeeded him in 2021 and he became executive chairman.

Keep researching Walgreens Boots Alliance

Who Founded Walgreens Boots Alliance? FAQ

Who was the founder of Walgreens and where was he born?

Charles Rudolph Walgreen Sr. (1873–1939) was an American pharmacist and entrepreneur born near Galesburg, Illinois, who grew up in Dixon, Illinois.

How did Charles R. Walgreen Sr. become interested in pharmacy?

After losing a portion of his finger in an accident at a shoe factory in Dixon, his physician encouraged him to study pharmacy; he apprenticed at a local apothecary before moving to Chicago in 1893.

When and where did Charles R. Walgreen Sr. purchase his first drugstore?

In 1901, Walgreen used his savings and borrowed funds to buy the 50-by-20-foot drugstore where he worked as a clerk at Cottage Grove and Bowen Avenues on Chicago's South Side.

What retail innovations did Charles R. Walgreen Sr. introduce early on?

He insisted on exceptionally bright, clean, well-lit stores, introduced two-minute bicycle delivery for telephone orders, greeted every customer warmly, and manufactured his own high-quality private-label drugs.

When did Walgreen open his second store and how fast did the chain grow?

He opened his second store in 1909; by 1916 he owned 9 stores, by 1920 he operated 20, and by 1929 Walgreens had expanded to 397 stores in 87 cities across the United States.

Who was Ivar "Pop" Coulson and what was his famous 1922 invention?

Ivar Coulson was a Walgreens soda fountain manager who invented the modern malted milkshake in 1922 by adding vanilla ice cream to malt powder and milk, transforming soda fountains into massive profit centers.

How did Prohibition affect Walgreens' store expansion in the 1920s?

Under the Volstead Act, physicians wrote legal prescriptions for medicinal whiskey; Walgreen strictly adhered to pharmacy regulations, building immense consumer trust and fueling rapid drugstore expansion.

What employee benefit program did Charles R. Walgreen Sr. pioneer in the 1930s?

In 1939, shortly before his death, he established the Walgreens Employee Profit-Sharing and Retirement Plan, one of the earliest and most generous profit-sharing programs in corporate America.

What was Charles R. Walgreen Sr.'s real estate philosophy?

He pioneered the "corner drugstore" concept, choosing prominent, high-traffic street intersections with heavy pedestrian footfall and transit stops to maximize daily impulse visits.

When did Charles R. Walgreen Sr. pass away and who succeeded him?

Charles R. Walgreen Sr. died in December 1939 at age 66; his son, Charles R. Walgreen Jr., succeeded him as president and expanded the company through post-war modernization.

What was the Walgreen family's civic and educational philanthropy?

The founder and his family donated millions to higher education, establishing the Walgreen Medical Research Fund and endowing academic chairs at the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan.

What is the lasting legacy of Charles R. Walgreen Sr. in American retail?

He transformed the American neighborhood apothecary into a modern, standardized, community-oriented retail healthcare institution combining clinical pharmacy with everyday consumer convenience.

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