Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. says it will cut 1,000 jobs this year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a combination of voluntary buyouts and layoffs.

The Deerfield, Ill.-based company says the job cuts will come from corporate and field management and won't include store employees. The targeted workers will be able to resign or retire with severance pay and benefits based on their tenure.

Starting in February, the company will begin layoffs.

There are more than 6,600 Walgreens stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including at least 144 in Colorado.

The job reductions are part of Walgreen's cost-cutting plan, which is intended to save the company $1 billion per year starting in fiscal 2011.