Kerr's concentration on carving out a bigger role for pharmacy in the nation's health care system makes it an excellent fit for Walgreens, one of whose core principles is to advance pharmacy to the point where such professionals are practicing at the top of their license. As Walgreens president and chief executive officer Greg Wasson noted when the Kerr acquisition was announced, the alignment between the two companies extends to their commitment to transforming the traditional drug store format to deliver a new kind of shopping experience for consumers. Viewed in another light, the sale of Kerr points to the intense competitive pressure that regional drug chains contend with every day. Not only do they face the likes of Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy and Rite Aid — multibillion-dollar companies with drug stores across the country — regional chains fight for customers with major discounters and food/drug combination store operators.