Walgreens Moving Some Tech Jobs From Deerfield To Chicago

DEERFIELD, IL — Walgreens will move some employees from its Deerfield headquarters to Chicago, doubling its number of workers at its downtown office. About 300 tech jobs will be added in the Sullivan Center to "establish a new technology center of excellence," Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Walgreens announced Monday.

Walgreens said it is expanding its Sullivan Center space at 36 S. Wabash Ave. to make room for the expansion. The office, currently home to digital, mobile and e-commerce employees, will soon hold much of the company's retail pharmacy technology team.

“Chicago is where Walgreens began as a single drugstore in 1901, and expanding our downtown presence will help us retain and attract the best talent to continue developing our digital and technology capabilities,” said Alex Gourlay, president of Walgreens, announcing the jobs.

Some of the tech workers will be relocated from Deerfield, while others will be new hires, according to the announcement.

A spokesperson for Walgreens was unable to provide a breakdown of the number of jobs that will be moved from Deerfield, where parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance currently has more than 6,500 employees. The spokesperson said the company has no plans to move its headquarters.

Walgreens currently has more than 3,500 employees and 136 drugstores in Chicago.

Walgreens is currently building out its space in the Sullivan Center to host the new center of excellence, which will host much of the company’s retail pharmacy technology team along with the digital, mobile and e-commerce technology teams that currently work there.

“Chicago and Walgreens have a long and shared history of innovation and ingenuity,” Emanuel said. “That history makes Chicago the perfect city for Walgreens to locate 300 jobs and make an investment in its future.”

» See also: Feds Approve $4.38 Billion Deal For Walgreens To Buy Rite Aid Stores

_{Top photo: The Sullivan Center, 36. S. Wabash, Chicago | via Google Street View}