Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance have lost about half their value in the past year, as the chain has faced pressure in its retail and pharmacy businesses.

Walgreens Boots Alliance announced on Thursday that it has agreed to a $10 billion deal to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners and go private. After years of falling sales and rising costs,

Walgreens Boots Alliance will be taken private by Sycamore Partners for $10 billion, the firms said on Thursday, closing out nearly a century of trading on public markets for the U.S. pharmacy giant.