Walgreens to Set up Hub in Chennai, to Create 250 Jobs in First Year
An MoU was signed with Walgreens India Private Limited in the presence of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday
CHENNAI: The US healthcare and pharmacy major Walgreens will establish a global capability centre in Chennai, strengthening the city’s position as a hub for technology and business services.
An MoU was signed with Walgreens India Private Limited in the presence of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Friday. The proposed centre at DLF Downtown, Tharamani, will focus on technology and business services and is expected to create more than 250 employment opportunities in its first year, with further expansion planned in the coming years.
The announcement came shortly after the state government unveiled the Tamil Nadu Global Capability Centres Corridor and Development Programme in the Assembly, aimed at developing employment corridors in key parts of Chennai and facilitating the establishment and expansion of global capability centres in the State.
The Walgreens centre is expected to support the company’s enterprise operations by building technology and business capabilities from Chennai. The initiative also adds to the growing presence of global companies using the city as a base for specialised technology, digital and corporate functions.
Chennai has emerged as one of India’s established global capability centre destinations, supported by its large pool of engineering and technology professionals and a strong presence in sectors such as healthcare, automobile, manufacturing, financial services and information technology. The city’s expanding office districts, including Tharamani and the OMR corridor, have also become important locations for multinational companies establishing captive technology and business operations.
The state government has increasingly sought to move beyond the traditional IT-services model by attracting global capability centres that undertake higher-value functions such as software development, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, finance, product engineering and global business operations.
Walgreens’ entry also brings a healthcare-sector dimension to Chennai’s global capability centre ecosystem, where the city already has a substantial base of healthcare, life sciences and technology capabilities.
The government said the Walgreens partnership would strengthen Chennai’s position as a destination for high-value global capability centres and create opportunities for skilled professionals in technology and business services.
The proposed centre is expected to scale up its operations beyond the initial 250 jobs, although the company has not specified the projected investment or the eventual employee strength, said the industries department.
