Walgreens and CVS Are Permanently Closing Several Pharmacies, Starting Today

Walgreens is closing several of its stores soon.

Walgreens is going to be busy making a number of cuts over the next two months. On Feb. 21, the drugstore chain is shuttering a location in Ridgewood, New York, QNS reported. One day after the Ridgewood Walgreens closure, residents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will lose a location as well. The company told Fox 9 that its store on Broadway Avenue will close permanently on Feb. 22.

Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan confirmed the two newly announced closures in a statement to Best Life. "When faced with the difficult task of closing a particular location, several factors are taken into account, including things like the dynamics of the local market and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers," Lathan said.

Best Life previously reported that Walgreens will be closing a pharmacy in Johnsbury, Vermont, on Feb. 22, as well as another store in Houston, Missouri, on March 7.

But the company is shuttering other pharmacies even sooner.

Walgreens is not only planning to close its own pharmacies, however. The healthcare giant just acquired Medly Health after a judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved Walgreens' deal to purchase the company for $19.35 million on Feb. 7, The Press Democrat reported. According to the California newspaper, this acquisition has led to the closure of at least three pharmacies in the state.

In late 2021, Medly Health acquired Pharmaca, a Boulder, Colorado-based full-service pharmacy and wellness company. As a result, Walgreens said it will be closing Pharmaca locations through its acquisition of Medly's assets, according to The Press Democrat. This includes three pharmacies throughout the North Bay in Sonoma, Napa, and Novato.

Deidre Verdu, manager of the Sonoma Pharmaca store, told The Sonoma Index-Tribune that their pharmacy operations will close on Feb. 9, but the store itself will remain open until Feb. 25 to sell other products.

And these aren't necessarily the only locations Walgreens will shut down. "We are pleased to have reached agreement to acquire the pharmaceutical records and other select assets across 22 Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacies and 4 Medly Pharmacies nationally," Lathan told Best Life. "Although specific store details are still being finalized given the timing of the bankruptcy court’s ruling Tuesday, prescription files and inventory are expected to transfer to nearby Walgreens pharmacies by mid-February."

CVS is also closing stores in the near future.

CVS is also cutting locations in the coming weeks. The company will permanently close a store in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 1, CBS-affiliate KCCI reported. CVS told the station that the Des Moines store on Euclid Avenue is being shut down partly due to "factors [that] include local market dynamics, population shifts and a community's store density."

A few weeks later, a CVS in Tallahassee, Florida, will shut its doors for good, ABC-affiliate WTXL reported. Matt Blanchette, a CVS senior manager, told the station that its store on south Monroe Street is closing permanently on March 16.

Best Life reached out to CVS to confirm these newly announced closures but has not yet heard back.

We previously reported that a CVS location in Washington, D.C., will also be closing on Feb. 27. A company spokesperson called the decision to close this store "difficult" at the time.

"Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions," the CVS spokesperson added.

This company is also cutting pharmacy hours starting next month.

Even if your local CVS store is not slated to close, the pharmacy will likely soon be closing earlier. A spokesperson for the company recently told Best Life that CVS is cutting hours at roughly two-thirds of its retail pharmacies, starting in March. New hours will vary by location, according to the spokesperson.

"By adjusting hours in select stores this spring, we ensure our pharmacy teams are available to serve patients when they're most needed," the spokesperson said. "If a pharmacy is closed, a patient can visit any open CVS Pharmacy location for assistance with their immediate prescription needs."