Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth says a human connection will help the pharmacy giant go toe-to-toe with Amazon.
“We will beat Amazon because of the human interface that we offer communities and neighborhoods,” Wentworth said during an appearance Thursday on CNBC.
Wentworth, who took over the company in October 2023, said Walgreens is in a strong position compared to Amazon because of its 8,600 locations, which give customers the ability to discuss medications and health concerns in-person. Wentworth praised Amazon, saying the e-commerce giant has “set the bar” and driven innovation across the industry when it comes to fast deliveries.
Earlier this week, Amazon said it would expand its same-day pharmacy delivery service to New York and the greater Los Angeles area.
Fast delivery from Amazon and other companies such as Instacart have encouraged Walgreens to deliver 80% of its online orders within one hour, Wentworth said. But the company’s focus remains on human interactions that leverage in-store pharmacists and health services, he said.
“Those are the things that I think are going to differentiate us, not just the fact that we can do [delivery] in an hour,” he told CNBC.
Walgreens Boots Alliance stock is down more than 18% so far this year.
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