DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and FedEx Corp. announced an agreement to provide convenient access to FedEx drop-off and pickup services in nearly 8,000 Walgreens locations by the fall of 2018.

The companies said there would be a small-scale rollout this spring and that the program would be available at thousands of Walgreens outlets later this year.

“Working with FedEx to provide safe and secure delivery locations while making it easy for customers to ship returns and other packages through the FedEx networks is another way we are becoming America’s most loved pharmacy-led health, well-being and beauty retailer,” said Reuben Slone, Walgreens senior vice president of supply chain. “We look forward to providing our customers with these convenient options that will be available whenever the store is open.”

The FedEx Onsite program will permit customers to drop off prepackaged, pre-labeled shipments at Walgreens stores and pick up shipments that they choose to direct to a Walgreens store.

“Walgreens, with its strong focus on customer care, is the perfect retailer to help us continue to meet the growing demand for convenient, secure drop-off and pickup options, and our research has shown that customers rank pharmacies as a preferred location for accessing their e-commerce shipments,” Raj Subramaniam, executive vice president, chief marketing and communications officer at FedEx, said in a January 11 statement. “The addition of Walgreens locations to the existing network of FedEx retail offerings will substantially increase customer access to staffed pickup and drop-off locations and enhance convenient access to FedEx Ground and FedEx Express package shipment and drop-off options. We look forward to offering these capabilities to customers, and continuing to meet their e-commerce shipping needs with these flexible options.”