It's official: one of the nation's leading drugstore chains is coming to Greenville.

Walgreens is bringing a 14,500 square foot store to the former Thrifty Inn site, with construction slated to begin in July 2007.

&#8220This will be your typical Walgreens, with a full walk-in and drive-through pharmacy service, complete photo lab, health and beauty and sundries,” said Steve Ladas of Ladas Land and Development.

There are currently 61 Walgreens in Alabama, with a total of 5,638 stores in 48 states and Puerto Rico.

It is the nation's largest drugstore chain in terms of sales, with $ 51 billion rung at its cash registers last year. The average Walgreens carries 25,000 different items.

The drugstore chain is definitely &#8220on the grow,” Ladas says.

&#8220Walgreens is opening an average of 500 new stores a year. Their goal is 7,100 stores by 2010.”

Walgreens also offers a website, www.walgreens.com, where customers can order photo prints, refill subscriptions and shop online.

&#8220We've had a few things hold us up along the way, but we are finally getting this thing off the ground,” Ladas said.

The Greenville Walgreens is slated to be open by February 2008.

Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon said he is delighted to see the project come to fruition.

&#8220Think about the eyesore we had there for such a long time - the old Thrifty Inn - and now we'll have a nice new drugstore. It's great,” McLendon said.