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Walgreens is closing 9 Massachusetts locations
Including one in Dorchester.
Walgreens is closing nine locations in Massachusetts, including one in Dorchester, as it aims to implement cost-cutting measures.
“It is never an easy decision to close a store, and we know how important they are to the communities we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve their performance,” Walgreens said in a statement shared with Boston.com. “When closures are necessary, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions.”
Cambridge, Easthampton, Fairhaven, Haverhill, Marlborough, Methuen, Norton, and West Springfield will also experience closures from mid-March to the end of April.
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Patients who fill their locations at the closing locations will be notified by mail, and their prescriptions will automatically transfer to the nearest Walgreens.
Customers at the closing locations can also receive free delivery for 90 days.
Walgreens blamed the increase in regulatory and reimbursement pressures for its struggles to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.
The closures are part of the company’s business strategy. In its fourth-quarter earnings call in October, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced that it expected to close 1,200 locations over the next three years as it seeks to revitalize its struggling business, which suffered a $3 billion quarterly loss.
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The company said it was focusing on closing underperforming stores, especially those with expiring leases.
During the call, the company announced an expanded footprint optimization program, saying that of its over 8,000 stores, only about 6,000 were profitable.
“While the decision to close the store is never an easy one, we feel confident in our ability to continue to serve our customers,” said Tim Wentworth, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, during the conference call.
Wentworth said Walgreens would redeploy the workforce at the closed locations to other stores.
In addition, Wentworth said the company was reevaluating its merchandising strategy and would offer a refreshed product assortment.
“To be clear, we believe our reorientation to retail pharmacy has a bright future,” he said.
The store closures come as other drug stores are also hurting.
CVS announced a three-year plan to close 900 stores, and Rite Aid, which is regaining from bankruptcy, is closing 1,300 locations.
Many are concerned that as drugstores disappear they create “dead zones” in many vulnerable communities, which are already poorer, sicker, and less well-resourced.
Here is the list of locations set to close in Massachusetts:
- 38 W Main St. in Norton, closing on March 17
- 525 Boston Post Road E in Marlborough, closing on March 18
- 85 Huttleston Ave. in Fairhaven, closing on March 19
- 99 Westfield St. in West Springfield, closing on March 20
- 32 Union St. in Easthampton, closing on March 25
- 625 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, closing on March 27
- 757 Gallivan Blvd. in Boston, closing on April 28
- 800 River St. in Haverhill, closing on April 28
- 256 Pleasant St. in Methuen, closing on April 29
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