CVS Shuttering Baltimore County Store Amid Nationwide Closures: Report

HALETHORPE, MD — CVS is closing its Halethorpe location at 3915 Hollins Ferry Road on March 6, WBAL reported Tuesday.

WBAL said the pharmacy chain also closed its Baltimore store in the Govans neighborhood on Feb. 5, while the Federal Hill CVS on South Charles Street will shutter on April 2. Closing stores will transfer prescriptions to nearby locations, CVS told WBAL.

"Colleagues at both stores are being offered comparable roles within the company," CVS told WBAL in a statement. "Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a community's store density and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community."

Under a new CEO, CVS posted a profit in the fourth quarter of 2024 partially because the company is closing more than 1,100 locations over three years, the Associated Press reported.

CVS announced last fall that it plans to lay off about 2,900 employees, which is less than 1% of its workforce, AP said.

AP reported that thousands of CVS employees went on a brief strike in Southern California last October to demand better pay, stronger staffing and more affordable health care.

Retail pharmacies are downsizing nationwide.

Rite Aid and Walgreens are each closing swaths of stores, including several in Maryland.

Drugstore leaders say the closures stem from reduced spending by inflation-weary customers, low reimbursement rates for pharmacy care and low dispensing fees for Medicaid enrollees. They also say current business models are outdated in an environment of increased competition from stores that sell much of the same merchandise. Additionally, pharmacies are still adjusting to a spike in demand for services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executives think consolidating their footprints and modernizing their services could save drugstores from extinction.

Related:

• More Pharmacy Chains Closing In Maryland: What’s Behind It?
• Store Closures Surge In MD: See List Of Retailers Shutting Doors