Walgreens has taken over the first of four local pharmacies on Maui, reopening the former Lahaina Pharmacy at 843 Wainee St., Suite 109, the Maui News reported today.

Owner Sheldon Zimmerman closed his Lahaina Pharmacy, which opened in 1991, on Friday, but he was back in the store Monday as a Walgreens employee, working part-time and beginning a transition toward retirement.

"Working with Walgreens as I step back from the business means my patients will continue to be looked after, and they'll see the same familiar faces behind the counter," said Zimmerman. "I'm thankful to all of my patients for their loyalty over the years. They'll be in good hands with Walgreens in the future."

In October, the Illinois company announced it was buying Lahaina Pharmacy and the three locations of Valley Isle Pharmacy, all from owners wanting to retire.

The Valley Isle locations in Lahaina and Wailuku will become Walgreens outlets next month.

The one that reopened Monday is a pharmacy-only Walgreens that offers full prescription service with a limited number of over-the-counter health items. The Valley Isle acquisitions also will be pharmacy-only.

The company announced a full-service Walgreens for a lot across from Lahaina Cannery Mall in November 2007, and a spokesman said Monday it is expected to open next summer.

In April, Longs sued Walgreens, claiming it had a right of first refusal to build a pharmacy on that lot, but that suit was settled.

Walgreens says its pharmacy services are unique, including refills available the same day, automatic medication refills and prescription labels in 14 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Another service is the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, which offers a 90-day supply of more than 400 generic medications for less than $1 a week. The Prescription Savings Club also can be used for medications for pet dogs and cats.

Walgreens pharmacies across the country are connected electronically, making prescriptions easy to fill when traveling.

"We're seeing more demand for pharmacy services each year as the population ages both here in the islands and on the Mainland," said Walgreens Hawaii District Manager Dana Psomas. "We're looking forward to meeting this need on Maui."

The hours of operation will be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, and closed Sundays.

The Valley Isle Pharmacy at 130 Prison St. is scheduled to open in January as a Walgreens, as are the two Valley Isle Pharmacies in Wailuku.

Walgreens has opened more than 70 pharmacies in medical office buildings in recent years.

The Maui acquisitions mark Walgreens' first pharmacy-only locations on a Neighbor Island. The chain came to Hawaii in November with a full-service store in Honolulu. Over the long term, Walgreens expects to operate 25 to 30 stores in Hawaii.

Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion.

* Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com.