Rumors of Walgreens’ sale swirled for months before it was announced in March, as the company’s core retail pharmacy business struggled and a pivot to offering healthcare services failed to yield the return on investment that executives expected. Walgreens shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale to Sycamore in July, after Wentworth said the firm might have the leadership expertise to help the retailer address mounting financial pressures head on. Though Wentworth is being replaced as CEO, the executive will remain as an ongoing director, the company said. John Lederer, a former director of Walgreens and a senior advisor to Sycamore, has been named Walgreens’ executive chairman. Walgreens also continued to carry high levels of debt ahead of the sale, reporting $429 million in short-term debt and nearly $7 billion in long-term debt in the nine-month period ending May 31. Sycamore Partners’ portfolio includes several other retail brands, including Belk, Staples and Lane Bryant. The private equity firm does not have extensive exposure in healthcare.

The Home Depot® reported sales of $36.8 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2021, an increase of $3.3 billion, or 9.8 percent from the third quarter of fiscal 2020. Comparable sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 increased 6.1 percent, and comparable sales in the U.S. increased 5.5 percent. Net earnings for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 were $4.1 billion, or $3.92 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $3.4 billion, or $3.18 per diluted share, in the same period of fiscal 2020. For the third quarter of fiscal 2021, diluted earnings per share increased 23.3 percent from the same period in the prior year.

Inspired by input from its educator users, Savvas Learning Company is excited to announce that for back to school it has updated its award-winning Savvas Realize platform with powerful enhancements and a new user experience intended to save teachers time, freeing them up to focus more on classroom instruction with their students. Savvas Realize, recognized as one of the most innovative learning management systems (LMS) in the industry and the winner of seven edtech awards, has now been made even easier to use with intuitive navigation for both teachers and students and time-saving tools for teachers to make the most of their teaching day. These updates include a more streamlined interface with faster grading workflows, improved classroom management tools, and greater integration with the edtech tools that schools use most. “Teachers have a lot on their plates, especially this school year with trying to get their students caught up. They need an LMS that’s easy to navigate for them and their students — one that provides robust support for personalized learning and the right tools to make their jobs easier,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “After a year-long collaboration with nearly 100 educators, our highly acclaimed Savvas Realize LMS has been updated with significant enhancements to provide greater simplicity, shareability, and interoperability — helping teachers be more productive in the classroom.”