US Walgreens Restarts Vape Sales Juul On Sales 6000 Stores

Walgreens, a major chain pharmacy in the United States, has announced that it will provide “compliant products” to match the needs of adult consumers and resume selling vape products in some of its stores in the country

Key points at a glance
• Walgreens, a major chain pharmacy in the United States, has resumed selling electronic cigarette products in some of its stores;
• Juul Labs states that its products have already entered or will soon enter approximately 6000 Walgreens stores;
• Altria’s NJOY official website also lists multiple Walgreens stores as sales points;
• After being acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in recent years, Walgreens has continued to push for cost reduction, which is seen as expanding new revenue channels;
• Several large retailers were delisted in 2019 due to concerns about teenage use and health.

According to Bloomberg, Walgreens, a major chain pharmacy in the United States, has resumed selling vape products in some of its stores, with a total of nearly 8000 stores..
An employee revealed that the relevant products began to appear on some store shelves earlier this year.

• A spokesperson for Juul Labs stated that Juul products are currently or will soon enter approximately 6000 Walgreens stores.
• At the same time, the store search page of NJOY’s official website under Altria Group also shows Walgreens stores from Washington D.C., Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington as its sales points.

Walgreens announced on March 6, 2025, that it had reached a final acquisition agreement with private equity firm Sycamore Partners for privatization at a transaction price of approximately $10 billion (including higher total debt). Sycamore is committed to reducing Walgreens’ costs. At present, the company has laid off employees and cancelled some of their paid leave, while selling vape products has opened up a new source of income.
A spokesperson for Walgreens responded that as a retailer, the company provides adult consumers with a diverse range of products of their choice and continuously evaluates the product structure; The updated product portfolio will include ‘compliant products’ to match consumer preferences. Sycamore Partners did not comment.
Walgreens, together with Wal Mart, Kroger and other retailers, pulled the vape products off the shelves in 2019 due to the popularity of vapes among young people and related health concerns. According to market statistics, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens are the two largest chain pharmacy brands in the United States, with nearly 9000 and approximately 8000 stores respectively,
But with the approval of some vape products by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2021, the sales attitude of some large retailers towards approved products has changed.
Kroger, the largest traditional grocery supermarket chain in the United States, announced that it will begin selling FDA authorized vapes and related products from November 2023; CVS, a pharmacy chain, claims not to sell vape products and has stopped selling all tobacco products since 2014; Wal Mart also said that it would not sell vape products and stopped selling cigarettes in some stores in recent years.
Bloomberg reported that this is the latest initiative launched by Walgreens’ new owner after their entry.

Reference: Walgreens Starts Selling Vapes for the First Time Since 2019 – Bloomberg