Osco Drug

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Osco Drug began in 1937 when L. L. Skaggs opened a self-service drugstore in Rochester, Minnesota, under the Pay-Less name. By 1942, the operation had become Owners Service Company—shortened to OSCO—and it grew into a familiar prescription, cosmetics, snacks, liquor, photo-counter, and just-one-more-thing stop across the Midwest.

The Jewel Companies acquired Osco’s 30 stores in 1961. The resulting Jewel-Osco format put groceries and drugstore goods under one roof, initially divided by an interior wall—because apparently even aspirin and avocados needed separate diplomatic missions. Osco moved from Chicago to Melrose Park in 1962, then Franklin Park in 1968, and Oak Brook in 1974.

American Stores acquired Jewel in 1984, and in 1989 grouped Osco, Sav-on, and related operations inside American Drug Stores. American Stores centralized operations during the 1990s; Osco’s Oak Brook headquarters was sold after the move was completed in 1998. Albertsons acquired American Stores in 1999.

Our Osco Drug collection celebrates the bright, practical spirit of the standalone drugstore: fluorescent aisles, film envelopes, pharmacy bags, seasonal displays, and the oddly thrilling possibility of buying toothpaste, candy, and a bargain alarm clock in one run. In June 2006, CVS completed its acquisition of approximately 700 standalone Osco and Sav-on stores from Albertsons, bringing the standalone Osco era to its close.