US Drugstore Chain Rite Aid Closes Its Remaining Stores
This well-known US pharmacy chain Rite Aid has announced the closure of its last outlets.
This past Saturday, the company's website was replaced with a announcement confirming: "Every Rite Aid stores have now shut down. We appreciate our dedicated customers for their long-standing of support." The website also included a link for patrons to request their pharmacy records.
Established in 1962, the firm was once a major pharmacy retailers in the country. During its prime, Rite Aid had up to 5,000 stores.
But in recent years, the chain encountered economic challenges and a federal probe. By Friday less than 100 stores were still open.
Rite Aid had entered bankruptcy in October 2023 and then in mid-2025.
The company also faced legal issues over its involvement in the opioid epidemic. In 2022, Rite Aid paid as much as $30 million to resolve legal claims alleging it fueled the spread of painkillers in the United States.
The following year, in its 2023 bankruptcy submission, the company said that reorganization would help it "resolve litigation claims."
Rite Aid also faced a federal lawsuit in which officials alleged the company's stores processed unlawful prescriptions for powerful painkillers. The company reached a settle in mid-2024.
Other US drugstore retailers have likewise been closing retail locations throughout the country, though various reasons have been mentioned.
From 2021 onward, CVS has shut down over 1,000 locations as part of a broader initiative.
In a similar vein, Walgreens, which was recently purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, closed 500 stores over the past year.
Experts have raised worries about growing "pharmacy dead zones" in the United States, where millions of residents reside lacking a drugstore close by and must travel to get prescriptions filled.
