American Pharmacy Retailer Rite Aid Shuts Down Its Final Outlets
The well-known American drugstore retailer Rite Aid has confirmed the closing of all its remaining outlets.
This past Saturday, the firm's website was updated with a announcement confirming: "All Rite Aid locations have currently closed. We thank our dedicated patrons for their long-standing of support." The website also provided a option for patrons to obtain their pharmacy files.
Established in 1962, the firm was at one time a major pharmacy chains in the country. In its heyday, Rite Aid counted approximately 5,000 locations.
However in recent years, the company encountered financial struggles and a federal investigation. By Friday fewer than 100 locations were still open.
Rite Aid had filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and then in May 2025.
The company also faced lawsuits over its involvement in the prescription painkiller epidemic. In 2022, Rite Aid agreed to pay up to $30 million to settle lawsuits alleging it fueled the spread of painkillers in the United States.
A year later, in its 2023 filing, the company stated that reorganization would help it "resolve litigation claims."
Rite Aid also faced a Justice Department complaint in which authorities claimed the firm's stores processed illegal prescriptions for powerful painkillers. The company reached a resolution in July 2024.
Other US drugstore chains have also been closing retail locations throughout the United States, though different factors have been mentioned.
Over the past few years, CVS has shut down over 1,000 stores as part of a longer term move.
In a similar vein, Walgreens, which was recently purchased by investment group Sycamore Partners, shut down 500 locations in the last twelve months.
Analysts have raised concerns about expanding "drugstore dead zones" in the US, where a large number of people live lacking a pharmacy close by and must commute to get medications filled.
