Walgreens announces 'significant' closures. What pharmacies have closed in Delaware? (2024)

Matthew Korfhage,Gabe HauariDelaware News Journal

Walgreens is planning to close a substantial number of storesin the United States.

The pharmacy chain confirmed its plan to close underperforming stores in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on Thursday morning after the parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, disclosed the news in its 2024 third-quarter fiscal results.

In the statement, a Walgreens spokesperson said the company is repositioning its store footprint, noting that about 25% of its stores are not contributing to the chain's long-term strategy.

The spokesperson also said the company is working on a program to close a significant portion of these locations over the next three years.

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens' parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance, said in an interview with CNBC that thecompany now forecasts weaker consumer spendingfor the rest of the year.

This news follows a number of pharmacy closures and restructurings, as pharmacies face lower reimbursem*nt rates from pharmaceutical brokers, short staffing, and mass walkouts among pharmacists at Walgreens and CVSwho alleged that the low staffing levels compromised patient safety and created poor working conditions.

So how many Walgreens stores will close? And what pharmacies have already closed in Delaware, among the major chains? Here's what we know.

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How many Walgreens locations are closing?

Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Wentworth said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that thecompany has not settled on a final number of locations to close. Last year, they told USA TODAY they would close 150 locationsacross the United States by the end of the fiscal year that ended May 2024. In earnings calls this year, officials said a recent corporate restructuring had also disposed of 10% of their corporate and U.S. support office roles.

Walgreens operates roughly 8,700 storesin 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to its website.

Wentworth also told the Wall Street Journal that Walgreens will reduce its stake in primary-care provider VillageMD and will no longer be the company's majority owner.

Wentworth said the company is focused on improving its core business: retail pharmacy. The company is launching a "retail pharmacy action plan" that will "invest in and deliver an improved customer and patient experience across channels," according to the strategic review section of the fiscal results.

According to his interview with the WSJ, Wentworth said the company expects that it will be able to reassign staffers so that its U.S. retail footprint reduction "doesn't result in a meaningful loss of jobs."

Delaware store closures for CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid

At least five Delaware Walgreens stores have closed or announced they would close since November 2023, part of a company roll-up announced last summer.

Philadelphia-based Rite Aid, reeling from high debt and lawsuits accusing the company of overprescribing opioids, has announced it would close as many as 500 stores during a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring that began in October. Rite Aidcontinues to close Delaware stores in 2024.

CVS, meanwhile announced in 2021 that it would close 900 stores between 2022 and 2024. In January, the chainsaid it would close "dozens" of pharmacies inside Target stores, but did not specify specific locations.

Walgreens closures in Delaware since October 2023

  • 1900 Maryland Ave., near Elsmere (closed February 2024)
  • 4201 Concord Pike, Talleyville (closed November 2023)
  • 3301 Lancaster Pike, Greenville (closed November 2023)
  • 124 E. Main St., Newark(closed November 2023)
  • 32979 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach (closed November 2023)

Delaware Online/USA Today Network has asked Walgreens spokespeople whether a new wave of closures is planned in Delaware. Spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rite Aid closures in Delaware since October 2023

  • 17069 S Dupont Highway, Harrington (closed January 2024)
  • 1602 Capitol Trail, near Newark (closed January 2024)
  • 263 S. Main St., Newark (closed January 2024)
  • 3209 Kirkwood Highway, near Prices Corner (closed November 2023)
  • 2713 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont (closed November 2023)
  • 25 Chestnut Hill Plaza, near Newark (closed October 2023)

Another Rite Aid, at 1999 Pulaski Highway (Route 40) in Bear, closed as part of an earlier round of closures.

Delaware CVS closures since 2023

Though the company has announced plans for closings across the country, no Delaware closures of CVS locations occurred in 2023, said spokesperson Amy Thibault. No specific CVS closings were planned for Delaware in 2024, as of February.

Matthew Korfhage is a business and development reporter in Delaware. Aware of another Delaware pharmacy that's closing? Let him know atmkorfhage@delawareonline.com.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X@GabeHauarior email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

Walgreens announces 'significant' closures. What pharmacies have closed in Delaware? (2024)

FAQs

Walgreens announces 'significant' closures. What pharmacies have closed in Delaware? ›

Walgreens is closing up to a quarter of its 8,600 stores within the United States. Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth recently explained to the Wall Street Journal on June 27 that the closures would focus on locations that aren't profitable, too close to each other or stores struggling with theft.

Why is Walgreens closing locations? ›

Walgreens is closing up to a quarter of its 8,600 stores within the United States. Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth recently explained to the Wall Street Journal on June 27 that the closures would focus on locations that aren't profitable, too close to each other or stores struggling with theft.

What pharmacy did Walgreens merge with? ›

Walgreens acquires a 45 percent stake in Alliance Boots, taking the first step in the strategic partnership to create the first global pharmacy- led, health and wellbeing enterprise. Walgreens and Alliance Boots form Walgreens Boots Alliance Development joint venture in Bern, Switzerland.

Which Walgreens in Massachusetts is closing? ›

Walgreens store closures in Massachusetts

The four locations Walgreens has closed in Boston recently have been in Roxbury, Mattapan and Hyde Park, low-income neighborhoods with prominent Black communities. Western Massachusetts has also seen Walgreens closures, as Westfield suffered a store closure this past January.

How many Walgreens stores are there in the US? ›

How many Walgreens pharmacies are there in the United States? As of May, 2024, there are 8250 Walgreens pharmacies in the United States. These pharmacies are located in 53 states and territories and 3251 cities. The state with the most Walgreens locations is Florida, with 769 pharmacies.

What is Walgreens new name? ›

In January, Walgreens announced its plan to purchase Prime Therapeutics' interest in Alliance Rx Walgreens Prime, making them the sole owner of the company. As part of the agreement, effective June 2022, the company will be known as AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy.

What Walgreens locations are closing in 2024? ›

Complete list of Walgreens stores closing updated to 2024
#Published DateLocation
107/11/2024210 E Barnett Rd, Medford, OR 97501
207/11/202425 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
307/11/202432979 Coastal Hwy, Bethany Beach, DE 19930
407/11/20247 E Silver St, Westfield, MA 01085
16 more rows

Is CVS owned by Walgreens? ›

No, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS pharmacy are not owned by the same parent company. Each of these pharmacy chains operates as a separate and independent company with its own ownership and management.

What did Walgreens used to be called? ›

Name. The company was founded as the Walgreen Drug Co., and did business under that name from 1901 to 1931. It was known as Walgreen Drug Stores from 1931 to 1948, and Walgreen's from 1948 to 1955. In 1955 the apostrophe was dropped from the name on retail outlets, which began using the "Walgreens" name.

Does Walgreens still own Rite Aid? ›

In late 2015, WBA agreed to acquire Rite Aid and its 4,600 U.S. stores, with the deal expected to close in late 2016. However, after 15 months of negotiations and a number of regulatory hiccups, WBA abandoned the original deal in June 2017 when it was blocked by the FTC for antitrust concerns.

What is the real reason Walgreens is closing? ›

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA. O) , opens new tab cut its profit forecast for fiscal 2024 and said it would close underperforming U.S. stores as weak consumer spending hurts retail operations.

Why is Walgreens dropping? ›

Walgreens has been hurt by industry reimbursem*nt pressures. The company also made a poor acquisition with its large investment in VillageMD.

Why are local pharmacies closing? ›

The reasons may be multi-pronged, including rising drug prices, staff shortages and opioid lawsuits.

What country owns Walgreens? ›

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

(WBA) is an American multinational holding company headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, which owns the retail pharmacy chains Walgreens in the US and Boots in the UK, as well as several pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution companies.

Who is the largest pharmacy in the US? ›

The nation's 15 biggest pharmacies
  • CVS Health Corp. — $159.4 billion.
  • Walgreens Boots Alliance — $91.1 billion.
  • Cigna (Evernorth/Express Scripts) — $65.7 billion.
  • UnitedHealth Group (OptumRx) — $42.2 billion.
  • Walmart Stores — $30.6 billion.
  • Kroger — $14.5 billion.
  • Rite Aid Corp. — ...
  • Humana (CenterWell) — $10.5 billion.
Apr 17, 2024

Is Walgreens owned by Walmart? ›

Does Walmart own Walgreen's stores? No, Walgreens was started in the 1920's in Chicago, way before Sam Walton ever thought of the retail store chain that would become Wal-Mart.

Why is Walgreens struggling? ›

Yet it has struggled for years because of financial pressures in its core pharmacy business. Like other pharmacies, Walgreens has been facing smaller revenue growth from prescription drugs, which had been a major driver of sales.

Why are Walgreens and CVS so close together? ›

Answer and Explanation:

These two have a similar business which compels them to be the most valuable location because if by chance a customer is not satisfied with the Walgreen pharmacies, so they can go to CVS for their satisfaction.

Why Walgreens is locking? ›

To varying degrees, Walmart, Target (TGT) and Walgreens have locked up merchandise to prevent theft. The problem is that doing that creates a bad customer experience. People understand when small, expensive items that can easily be stolen get put behind a counter or require a store associate to unlock them.

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