Maps Reveal Where Walgreens and Rite Aid Are Closing Stores Nationwide

Like many major retailers, America's largest pharmacy chains—Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS—are shutting down hundreds of stores nationwide as they navigate a storm of financial pressures, changing consumer behavior and intensified competition from e-commerce giants like Amazon.

Why It Matters

The closures highlight significant changes in the retail pharmacy landscape, with companies addressing falling reimbursement rates for prescription drugs, shifting consumer habits and the growing influence of online retailers.

While the financial struggles have led to restructuring, they are also raising concerns about access to essential health care services in underserved communities.

Where Is Walgreens Closing Stores in 2025?

Walgreens announced it will close 1,200 stores over the next three years, with 500 closures set for fiscal year 2025, set to end in August. CEO Tim Wentworth emphasized the need to address underperforming locations, as about 25 percent of Walgreens stores are unprofitable. The company reported a net loss of $3 billion in the final quarter of 2024, citing weakened pharmacy and retail performance, opioid litigation settlements and costs associated with an equity investment in China​.

Walgreens' attempts to pivot toward health care services have faced challenges. Its $5.2 billion investment in VillageMD, a primary care network, has yet to deliver expected profits. As a result, the company has begun divesting from VillageMD locations to cut costs​.

Analysts have pointed to broader industry struggles, including falling prescription reimbursement rates and increased competition from big-box retailers and online giants like Amazon.

The majority of Walgreens store closures in 2025 will occur in states with dense urban populations and significant market competition, including California and Illinois. San Francisco will see the highest number of closures, with 12 stores set to shut down, followed by cities like Chicago and Oakland​​.

CVS is undergoing a strategic transformation that includes the closure of 900 stores as part of a three-year plan announced in 2021. In 2024, the chain closed about 300 stores, maintaining its annual target. However, CVS has not released a comprehensive list of the affected locations, leaving many communities uncertain about which stores might be impacted​.

The closures in 2025 will target locations with overlapping footprints or low foot traffic as CVS shifts focus to its expanding health care services.

The closures are part of a broader strategy to focus on health care services, such as MinuteClinics and the integration of Aetna, its insurance subsidiary. Despite these efforts, CVS has faced challenges balancing its retail and health care operations. In addition to store closures, CVS laid off 2,900 corporate employees in 2024 to streamline its operations​.

A CVS news release explained that the decision to close specific stores is driven by "changes in population, consumer buying patterns, and future health needs," as well as "local market dynamics, population shifts, and store density."

But Neil Saunders, a retail analyst from firm GlobalData, told NPR that CVS and Walgreens "probably do have too many stores because they overexpanded, but the bigger problem is that the stores that they have are not very good."

Where Has Rite Aid Closed Stores?

Rite Aid's struggles culminated in its October 2023 bankruptcy filing, which led to the closure of more than 800 stores across the U.S. The company's financial troubles stemmed from $3.3 billion in long-term debt, which exceeded its total assets by nearly $1 billion. By early 2024, Rite Aid had reduced its store count to about 1,300 locations as part of its efforts to restructure and remain viable​.

Court filings and company reports highlight that the sale and closure of stores have been a critical element of Rite Aid's strategy to manage its debt load and streamline operations​.

CVS Plans For More Store Closures In 2025

CVS is undergoing a strategic transformation that includes the closure of 900 stores as part of a three-year plan announced in 2021. In 2024, the chain closed about 300 stores, maintaining its annual target. However, CVS has not released a comprehensive list of the affected locations, leaving many communities uncertain about which stores might be impacted​.

The closures in 2025 will target locations with overlapping footprints or low foot traffic as CVS shifts focus to its expanding health care services.

The closures are part of a broader strategy to focus on health care services, such as MinuteClinics and the integration of Aetna, its insurance subsidiary. Despite these efforts, CVS has faced challenges balancing its retail and health care operations. In addition to store closures, CVS laid off 2,900 corporate employees in 2024 to streamline its operations​.

A CVS news release explained that the decision to close specific stores is driven by "changes in population, consumer buying patterns, and future health needs," as well as "local market dynamics, population shifts, and store density."

But Neil Saunders, a retail analyst from firm GlobalData, told NPR that CVS and Walgreens "probably do have too many stores because they overexpanded, but the bigger problem is that the stores that they have are not very good."

What People Are Saying

Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth: "We are at a point where the current pharmacy model is not sustainable," as the company undertakes a plan to shutter 1,200 stores in the coming years​....We cried too much over the business impact of shoplifting."

Research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association: "pharmacies at greatest risk for closures are those with a large customer base on public insurance," making access to medication more difficult for low-income neighborhoods​.

What Happens Next

As Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS implement their closure plans, the retail pharmacy landscape is set to shift dramatically. While the companies aim to streamline operations and refocus on health care innovations, the broader industry faces ongoing challenges from e-commerce competition and declining reimbursement rates.

Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth indicated that the company's turnaround efforts will "take time but are expected to yield long-term benefits." However, analysts predict continued store closures and restructuring efforts across the sector through 2025 and beyond​.