Walgreens opens another micro-fulfillment centre with latest facility supporting stores across US Midwest

Walgreens has opened a new micro-fulfillment centre (MFC) in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

This facility aims to streamline prescription processing and reduce administrative tasks, freeing up pharmacists to focus more on delivering personalised care to their patients. It will support nearly 200 Walgreens stores across the Midwest, including 145 in Minnesota alone, and is expected to process approximately 13 million prescriptions each year.

"Walgreens’ investment in micro-fulfillment centres is another strategic step toward a brighter future for community pharmacy,” says Rick Gates, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Walgreens. “Research shows that Americans want more health services at their local pharmacy, and micro-fulfillment centres help us meet those needs by allowing our pharmacists do what they do best: spend more time with patients.”

Walgreens’ network of 12 micro-fulfillment centres now supports over 5,000 stores across the country, fulfilling more than 3.5 million prescriptions weekly.

“Our pharmacists working in locations supported by our micro-fulfillment sites are spending less time filling prescriptions and more time on patient care, like providing medication adherence support or administering vaccines – all of which help strengthen the health of our communities and provide a better overall patient experience,” says Kayla Heffington, Vice President, Pharmacy Operating Model, Walgreens.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Supply chain technology will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.