Rite Aid closing more locations: 31 additional stores to be shuttered.
Pharmacy chain Rite Aid is shuttering an additional 31 stores in a dozen states, according to a recent bankruptcy court filing.
The company announced more than 150 other store closures last month when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A Wednesday news release said it operates more than 2,300 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states.
Rite Aid spokesperson Catherine Carter said the stores that will be closing have been underperforming and will be closed “to further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance.” The company plans to give workers at closing stores the option to transfer to other locations.
Why did Rite Aid file for bankruptcy?
Rite Aid, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, filed for bankruptcy in October as it faced slumping sales and more than a thousand federal, state and local lawsuits accusing it of fueling the opioid epidemic by illegally filling painkiller prescriptions.
The company’s stock had dipped more than 95% over the past year and closed up 2.4% Wednesday at $0.22.
Other pharmacies closing
The closures come as the U.S. pharmacy system as a whole struggles to operate efficiently with less staff. Pharmacists at some of the nation’s largest chains have started to protest deteriorating working conditions, with employees at Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS staging walkouts in recent months.
Other pharmacy chains have also been shuttering stores. Walgreens in July said it planned to close 150 locations in the U.S. and another 300 in the United Kingdom, and CVS in 2021 announced plans to close 300 stores per year over the next three years.
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Which Rite Aid stores are closing?
California:
1020 Al Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe
11230 Donner Pass Road in Truckee
1475 41st Ave. in Capitola
49060 Road 426 in Oakhurst
5747 Kanan Road in Agoura
1350 North Vasco Road in Livermore
4980 Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento
Connecticut:
66 Church St. in New Haven
Maryland:
1301 East State St. in Delmar
Michigan:
1301 West 14 Mile Road in Clawson
3681 Shawnee Road in Bridgman
New Jersey:
93 Atlantic Blvd. in Beachwood
121 West Main St. in Moorestown
New York:
335 Route 25A in Miller Place
5825-35 Broadway in Bronx
Nevada:
1329 U.S. Hwy 395 North, #1 in Gardnerville
Ohio:
5033 Suder Ave. in Toledo
4332 Cleveland Ave., NW in Canton
501 Water St. in Chardon
Oregon:
435 Liberty Street, N.E. in Salem
785 South Columbia River Hwy in St. Helens
Pennsylvania:
927 Paoli Pike in West Chester
821 East Bishop St. in Bellefonte
6200 Saltsburg Road in Pittsburg
2545 Aramingo Ave. in Philadelphia
Virginia:
163 W. Ocean View Ave. in Norfolk
7601 Granby St. in Norfolk
4501 News Road in Williamsburg
Washington:
15801 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma
1628 5th Ave. in Seattle
691 Sleater Kinney Road SE in Lacey
Spokesperson Carter said the company has not confirmed any decisions on additional store closures at this time.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rite Aid store closure list grows: Pharmacy shutters 31 more locations
