Major Pharmacy Closes All CA Locations Amid Bankruptcy

The pharmacy chain Rite Aid has closed the remainder of its stores in California and nationwide as it continues its bankruptcy proceedings.

"All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support," the company announced on its website.

Over the summer, the company had announced plans to close more than 100 stores in California while keeping dozens open, but the plan deteriorated as the company abruptly shuttered nationwide.

The company announced that customers can continue to request their immunization and prescription records online. Rite Aid provided a list of pharmacies where customer prescriptions have been transferred if customers haven't already transferred them.

Rite Aid initiated bankruptcy restructuring in 2023, following years of financial losses. The Philadelphia-based company entered its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding in May, burdened by a debt exceeding $2 billion, as reported by ConnectCRE.

Previously the third-largest pharmacy chain in the nation, behind CVS and Walgreens, the company operated approximately 2,000 pharmacies as recently as 2023. At the commencement of its second bankruptcy, it possessed around 1,240 stores, which were subsequently slated for sale.

On June 10, Patch reported 179 Rite Aid stores in California were planned for permanent closure, leaving just 68 stores remaining in the Golden State at that time.