Customer Choice Spurs Walgreen Profits

Earnings for Deerfield based Walgreens jumped 86 percent for the quarter ending August 31 over the same period last year, according to reports from Real Edge Magazine.

Based in part on paying closer attention to the likes of its customers, Walgreens used information gained from customer loyalty cards to fine tune its merchandise mix and store layout, according to a report on Bloomberg News.

Profit increased to $657 million, or 69 cents per share, for the quarter which just ended. In the previous period in 2012 the company earned $353 million, or 39 cents per share, according to Bloomberg.

Not everything is rosy for Walgreens, according to Crain’s Chicago Business columnist Joe Cahill. He believes the company still has issues standing between it and growth.

According to Cahill, fewer shoppers are entering the doors. The company has increased the number and/or value of the merchandise each customer buys.

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