Positions slated to be cut involve non-store employees

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens plans to cut 370 corporate-level jobs as part of ongoing restructuring and cost reduction efforts.

A company spokesman said Tuesday that the 370 non-store employee positions being eliminated include 270 jobs at the drug chain’s Chicago-area support offices, or 6% of the positions at the impacted locations.

The IT department will take the biggest hit as it undergoes “a significant restructuring to better match resources with priorities,” while the other job cuts will come from a variety of support office divisions, according to the company.  The other approximately 100 positions being terminated will come from smaller offices in nearly 20 states.

Walgreens announced its restructuring and cost reduction plan a year ago. “We are realigning our business and reorganizing our corporate structure as we adapt to the fast-changing health care and retail market,” the company said in a statement, noting that the job eliminations won’t impact any store positions or locations. “These corporate support office changes will allow us to reduce management layers, phase out certain functions and consolidate similar job functions within the company.”

Impacted employees will be notified during the rest of this month. Walgreens added that it will remain a significant employer in Illinois with more than 23,000 employees across the state, including about 4,000 support office employees in the Chicagoland area.