Drugstore chain takes site
in Centerville for planned 2009 store opening

Big trees were falling and dust was flying yesterday as the land around
Center United Church of Christ was being cleared for a new Walgreens
store. According to Tiffany Bruce, a media spokesperson for the
drugstore chain, Walgreens’  plans call for a 14,820 foot square foot
store to be located on the corner lot of US 501 and Powell Road early
in 2009. Scheduling plans can change, however, Bruce said.
“We will, of course, have a pharmacy and a drive through lane for the
convenience of our customers,” Bruce said.
The store will be built by Chase Development Company of Henderson,
N.C.with Walgreens furnishing the specs and architectural requirements
for the new store. A Chase spokesman said the company purchased the
land for some $1.7 million and will lease the property to Walgreens
once the building is completed.
Bids for the construction have gone out, according to Amy Knott of
Chase Development, but no deadline has yet been set for construction to
be completed.
“When we start a project like this in the fall, we never know how much
delay we may suffer from the weather, but the last time we did one of
these it was completed within nine months. We, along with our
contractor, will push for completion, since we do not receive any money
until the stores have been completed and open for some 45 days,” Knott
said.
Another thing that could hold up the opening is simply the time of the
year. “Walgreens will not take over during the Christmas season or at
the end of their fiscal year,” Knott said.
Walgreens reached 53.8 billion in sales during fiscal 2007 — making it
the nation's largest drugstore chain and eighth largest retailer. The
company operates 5,992 drugstores in 48 states and Puerto Rico.
A typical Walgreens store is 14,500 – 14,800 square feet, which
includes 11,000 square feet of sales area, and carries more than 25,000
consumable items and necessities. Each unit employs 25 to 30 people
and averages $8.5 million in annual sales. Nationwide, Walgreens
drugstores serve 4.7 million customers daily.
While work is underway at the site, church trustees are dividing up the
proceeds from the sale of the church property with some of the money
going to the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation, some to the
American Red Cross and to the American Cancer Society as well as to
Hospice.