American Pharmacy Chain Rite Aid Shuts Down Its Final Outlets
The major American drugstore chain Rite Aid has declared the closing of its last outlets.
This past Saturday, the firm's website was replaced with a announcement confirming: "Every Rite Aid locations have now shut down. We appreciate our loyal customers for their many years of patronage." The site also provided a option for customers to obtain their pharmacy files.
Established in 1962, the company was at one time a leading pharmacy chains in the United States. At its peak, Rite Aid operated approximately 5,000 stores.
However in the past few years, the company faced financial struggles and a federal probe. By Friday under 100 stores remained.
Rite Aid had filed for Chapter 11 in October 2023 and again in mid-2025.
The firm also faced legal troubles over its involvement in the opioid crisis. In 2022, Rite Aid paid as much as $30 million to resolve lawsuits alleging it contributed to the spread of opioids in the United States.
The following year, in its 2023 bankruptcy filing, the firm stated that reorganization would help it "resolve legal disputes."
Rite Aid also encountered a federal complaint in which officials claimed the company's stores filled illegal orders for oxycodone and fentanyl. The firm agreed to resolution in July 2024.
Additional American drugstore retailers have likewise been closing retail locations throughout the country, though different factors have been mentioned.
Over the past few years, CVS has shut down over 1,000 locations as part of a longer term move.
In a similar vein, Walgreens, which was not long ago acquired by investment group Sycamore Partners, closed 500 locations in the last twelve months.
Experts have expressed worries about expanding "drugstore dead zones" in the US, where a large number of people reside without a drugstore close by and must commute to have medications dispensed.
