Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. said Q2 sales rose 12.1% to $33.0 billion. Operating income jumped 33.9% to $2.0 billion. For the first six months, sales rose 10% to $63.8 billion while operating income increased 12.9% to $3.3 billion.


Executive vice chairman and CEO Stefano Pessina said, “Our growth strategy of increasing and consolidating volume, differentiating ourselves through value and quality of service, and controlling costs is bearing fruit across our businesses. This is reflected in another good set of financial results in which we delivered the highest sales growth in eight quarters, as well as strong cash generation and record US pharmacy market share. We expect to continue to grow, in part through the recent acquisition of stores from Rite Aid, and today we are raising our fiscal 2018 guidance.”


As of the end of the second quarter, the company had acquired 1,542 Rite Aid stores under the previously announced amended and restated asset purchase agreement. Since the end of the quarter, the company completed the acquisition of all 1,932 stores. The transition of three distribution centers and related inventory is expected to begin during fiscal 2019.


The company continues to expect to complete integration of the acquired stores and related assets by the end of fiscal 2020, as previously announced.