Walgreens Opens Online Enrollment for New Loyalty Program, Reveals 10 Million Point Giveaway

        

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Walgreens new Balance Reward loyalty card. (Photo: Business Wire)

A key component to the online enrollment period is the release of the new Balance Rewards mobile card as part of the Walgreens mobile app. The Walgreens mobile app is available for free and offers several major benefits specific to Balance Rewards. (Photo: Business Wire)

DEERFIELD, Ill., September 06, 2012 - Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (NASDAQ: WAG) today announced customers can begin online enrollment into its new customer loyalty program, Balance^TM Rewards. Customers who join online before the official program launch on Sept. 16 will have a chance to enter the Walgreens 10 Million Point Giveaway sweepstakes. The innovative digital and mobile technology of Balance Rewards offers easy, multi-channel access to join the program online at www.walgreens.com/balance or with a mobile device through the Walgreens mobile app.

Walgreens new Balance Reward loyalty card. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are initially opening enrollment in one of the most important programs in Walgreens history through online and mobile technology as a testament to the company’s legacy of innovation,” said Graham Atkinson, Walgreens senior vice president and chief experience officer. “The Balance Rewards program and its features build upon our efforts to give customers easy, multi-channel access to health and daily living needs.”

During the online enrollment period, Sept. 6 – 15, customers who join Balance Rewards will have a chance to enter into the Walgreens 10 Million Point Giveaway. Customers can earn additional entries into the sweepstakes by referring friends and family to the program. For each friend or family member referral who joins Balance Rewards, a customer earns an additional entry into the 10 Million Point Giveaway. Within five days of the end of the sweepstakes, 10 grand prize winners will be randomly selected from the entry pool to receive 1 million points.

“Online enrollment for Balance Rewards is another step in our commitment to help our customers get, stay and live well,” said Atkinson. “We hope the 10 Million Point Giveaway will not only encourage our customers to join Balance Rewards, but also share the unique combination of features of this loyalty program with their friends and family.”

A key component to the online enrollment period is the release of the new Balance Rewards mobile card as part of the Walgreens mobile app. The Walgreens mobile app is available for free and offers several major benefits specific to Balance Rewards:

• Ease: Members can scan their mobile devices right at the register to earn points and savings and redeem awards without carrying around a plastic card.
• Access: Participants can review all purchases and points activity and special member savings through the Walgreens app any time or place within their mobile network service area.

Customers will have access to all the features of the Balance Rewards mobile card beginning on Sunday, Sept. 16, when the full program launches nationally.

In addition to the launch of Balance Rewards, Walgreens has recently announced other innovative mobile app features including:

• Print from Facebook: This feature allows users to select photos from Facebook albums to print, and pick up at any local Walgreens in about an hour.
• PrintWorthy: Users can now create and print a PrintWorthy card using a photo from Facebook albums with likes and comments.
• In Store Maps: Customers can use the shopping list feature to map and locate items in any Walgreens store nationwide, down to a particular section of an aisle. Walgreens is the first national retailer with all of its stores mapped in a mobile application.
• QuickPrints: This popular feature is now available for iPad users allowing more mobile users to print photos directly from their mobile devices or even Facebook to any of the Walgreens stores nationwide in about an hour.

As part of the nation’s largest drugstore chain, Balance Rewards has the potential to be the largest consumer loyalty program in the country. Balance Rewards is a comprehensive loyalty program that will offer customers ways to save, earn points and get rewarded for purchases, services and healthy behaviors. Restrictions apply; see terms and conditions for full details (www.walgreens.com/balance). The full loyalty program will launch in all Walgreens and Duane Reade stores across the country starting Sept. 16.

About Walgreens

As the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 7,929 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," “likely,” "outlook," “forecast, "would," "could," "should," “can,” “will,” "project," "intend," "plan," "goal,” “continue," "sustain," “synergy,” "on track," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," “possible,” "assume," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as amended, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by law, Walgreens does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

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