Drugstores sprouted up on street corners with startling speed over the past 15 years, saturating the nation. Now the pharmacy business is looking a lot like the soft drink business as two leviathans, Walgreen and CVS Caremark, play the Coke and Pepsi roles. Deerfield, Ill.'s WALGREEN (WAG, 35) has a narrow lead in stores-7,150 versus 7,000-but CVS bought prescription benefit manager Caremark in 2007, giving it a substantial mail-delivery business and a bigger top line. Trailing 12-month revenue is $65 billion at Walgreen and $99 billion for CVS.
展开▼
