US pharmacy chain Rite Aid announced that it would close all remaining stores.
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.
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.
But in recent years, the chain faced financial struggles and a Justice Department investigation. By Friday, data showed fewer than 100 stores remained.
Rite Aid had filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and May 2025.
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.
The following year, in the 2023 bankruptcy filing, the company said restructuring would help it “resolve litigation claims”.
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.
Other US pharmacy chains have also been closing retail locations across the country, though different reasons have been cited.
Since 2021, CVS has closed more than 1,000 stores as part of a longer term strategic move.
Separately, Walgreens, which was recently purchased by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, closed 500 stores over the past year.
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.
By BBC News
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