The nation’s largest retail pharmacy chain is coming to Oak Harbor, joining a city of 20,000 people with eight pharmacies already.

Walgreens is planning on building a 14,300-square-foot store on 1.88 acres on Highway 20, spanning from the corner of SE Barrington Drive to the corner of SE Pioneer Way. The buildings currently on the site, Whidbey Island Ford and Churchill Property Management, will be demolished.

Bob Sherry of Phillips Edison & Company, a real estate company with an office in Salt Lake City, is handling construction of the building for Walgreens.

He said the giant pharmacy and retail company always does a market study before moving into a new area. Obviously, the company liked its chances on Whidbey Island.

“Walgreens directed us to Oak Harbor and that site in particular,” he said.

Sherry said his pre-application meeting with city staff went well last week. He hopes to start construction in the spring and have the store open by the end of 2007.

Walgreens will be stepping into a city with an aging population, but a lot of competition for the drug-buying dollars. Walgreens will be built near Island Drug, the only independent drug store left in the city. There’s also Rite Aid, plus pharmacies in Kmart, Wal-Mart, Albertsons, Saar’s Marketplace, and two pharmacies on Navy property.

Yet Walgreens sells more than just drugs. The stores offer one-hour photofinishing, convenience foods and a range of retail items, from toys to electronics to fitness equipment to cleaning supplies to gifts, according to the company Web site.

In fact, each store provides 25,000 different items.

Founded in 1901, the chain has grown to 5,515 stores and is ever expanding. The Oak Harbor store is one of 500 expected to open nationwide next year.

Walgreens Company employs nearly 200,000 people and fills 529 million prescriptions a year.

Mayor Patty Cohen said Walgreens is welcome in Oak Harbor.

“It’s always nice to have new business come to town and make an investment in our community,” she said.

You can reach Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.