Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. and local and regional representatives of Walgreens celebrated the grand opening of the new store on St. Thomas on Saturday, September 14, 2013 as a crowd of shoppers gathered with excitement to await the opening of its doors.
As part of the festivities, this celebration of the first Walgreens store in the U.S. Virgin Islands included a grand opening program with remarks from dignitaries and a parade. The 18,000 square-foot store on St. Thomas – the first outside the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico – employs 30 people.
"It is always a pleasure for me to be part of something new that, more than anything, helps the Virgin Islands," said de Jongh, who added that it is good to see, in the current economic climate, a company that will come in, invest in the local community and employ Virgin Islanders.
The store features a healthy produce section, an expanded beauty section and a consultation area where customers can interact directly with a pharmacist. Photo services are also available as are spirits, jewelry, V.I. souvenirs, beer and wine.
Walgreens is the nation’s largest drugstore chain with more than 8,000 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The new Walgreens will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with pharmacy hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The store’s phone number is 340-777-9255.
Photo: USVI Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. (third from the left), along with local and regional representatives of Walgreens, cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new St. Thomas store.
-Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor