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US pharmacy chain Rite Aid announced that it would close all remaining stores. <\/p>\n
The company’s website was replaced on Saturday with a message announcing the closure: “All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support.” The site included a link to allow customers to request their pharmacy records. <\/p>\n
Founded in 1962, the company was once one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country. At its peak, Rite Aid counted 5,000 stores. <\/p>\n
But in recent years, the chain faced financial struggles and a Justice Department investigation. By Friday, data showed fewer than 100 stores remained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Rite Aid had filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and May 2025. <\/p>\n
The company also faced legal troubles over its role in the opioid epidemic. In 2022, Rite Aid paid up to $30 million to settle lawsuits alleging it contributed to the flow of opioids in the US, according to CBS, the BBC’s American news partner. <\/p>\n
The following year, in the 2023 bankruptcy filing, the company said restructuring would help it “resolve litigation claims”.<\/p>\n
Rite Aid also faced a Justice Department complaint in which officials alleged the company’s stores filled unlawful prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl. The company agreed to settle in July 2024. <\/p>\n
Other US pharmacy chains have also been closing retail locations across the country, though different reasons have been cited. <\/p>\n
Since 2021, CVS has closed more than 1,000 stores as part of a longer term strategic move. <\/p>\n
Separately, Walgreens, which was recently purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, closed 500 stores over the past year. <\/p>\n
Experts have raised concerns about growing “pharmacy deserts” in the US, where millions of people live without a pharmacy nearby and must travel to get prescriptions filled. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n