Walgreen Co. is opening its latest flagship store this week in Manhattan's Union Square.

The drug chain opened in the historic Union Square area in 2001 and has remodeled the store to its new "Well Experience" concept, which features an innovative pharmacy design along with new products, services and solutions in the front-end and pharmacy areas. Overall, Walgreens has about a dozen flagship stores.

NEW YORK — Walgreen Co. is opening its latest flagship store this week in Manhattan’s Union Square.

Walgreens said it’s holding a grand reopening event for the 24/7, multilevel store on Jan. 23. The drug chain opened in the historic Union Square area in 2001 and has remodeled the store to its new "Well Experience" concept.

"Walgreens is thrilled to provide customers our newest New York flagship location — unlike any traditional drug store — in Manhattan’s historic Union Square," Skip Bourdo, market vice president for Walgreens, said in a statement. "This location has been transformed to become customers’ first choice for health and daily living, and we look forward to continuing to help the residents and visitors of the Union Square neighborhood get, stay and live well."

Bourdo is slated to kick off a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday at 10 a.m. Other Walgreens executives due to be in attendance include Leslie Higgins, market pharmacy director; Ladonna Candia-Flanagan, market loss-prevention director; and Janice Francis, human resource and talent manager.

The store’s expanded features reflect Walgreens’ Well Experience format, which offers new products, services and solutions in the front-end and pharmacy areas.

In the front end, the Upmarket section offers a broad range of consumables, including fresh items such as chef-rolled sushi, sandwiches, wraps and ready-to-eat cut fruits and vegetables — intended to provide a healthier solution to typical fast-food choices, according to Walgreens. The chain said the store’s food categories also include a wider array of frozen foods and entrees plus expanded deli/dairy items.

An expanded beauty and personal care section is designed to offer a "best-in-class destination shopping experience" for categories including skin care, color cosmetics, hair care, dental, grooming and baby, Walgreens said.

The store also features an advanced printing and photo lab with expanded printing capabilities for creative projects. A full photo lab processes 35mm film, posters, banners, photo books, folded cards and calendars, all available in one hour.

In addition, a new checkout design provides greater access to the main registers and is arranged to guide customers through more quickly, Walgreens noted. The store also offers Web Pickup, which enables customers to access the entire store’s online item assortment and pick up purchases in-store. Once an order is picked, the customer will receive an e-mail and/or text message notifying them that the order is ready.

The store also features a full-service pharmacy with the Well Experience format’s "Ask Your Pharmacist" desk, which positions the pharmacist out in front of the pharmacy counter for easy interaction with patients.

With the conversion of the Union Square store marks Walgreens’ third flagship location in Manhattan, and the chain has about a dozen flagship outlets overall. Other flagship stores are in Philadelphia; San Francisco; Boston; Chicago (two); Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Washington, D.C.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.