Walgreens combined health and fashion, later piloting physical vision clinics to compete with specialist optical retailers.
The acquisition allowed Walgreens to offer competitive pricing and "ship-to-store" options for contact lenses, which remain a core part of its online "aisle" today. walgreens buys vision direct
VisionDirect.com, drugstore.com, Beauty.com, and SkinStore.com. $429 million for the parent company, drugstore
$429 million for the parent company, drugstore.com, inc. You can still purchase a wide range of
In 2019, Walgreens and Vision Direct reached a $12 million settlement to resolve antitrust class action claims. Plaintiffs alleged the companies conspired with 1-800 Contacts to suppress competition and fix online prices for contact lenses.
You can still purchase a wide range of contact lenses through the Walgreens Vision Center using HSA/FSA funds. Corporate Context (2025-2026)
In a major corporate shift, was acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for approximately $10 billion in August 2025.