Forest Hills' Only Rite Aid Store To Permanently Close Next Week

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Neighbors in Forest Hills will no longer have a local Rite Aid come next week.

The pharmacy chain is closing its sole Forest Hills outpost, located on Austin Street near the LIRR station, on May 2, a company spokesperson confirmed with Patch.

This closure comes amid a company restructuring where nearly 150 stores nationwide are slated to close, including a handful in Queens, leading to speculation about the pharmacy's business health (which the company itself refutes).

The spokesperson didn't say specifically why the Forest Hills location was chosen for closure, but noted that the closures are based on multiple reasons.

"A decision to close a store is one we take very seriously and is based on a variety of factors including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance," the company said in a statement.

Rite Aid, though, will take measures to help Forest Hills residents with the transition, according to the spokesperson.

"We work to seamlessly transfer [customers'] prescriptions so there is no disruption of services," reads the company statement. The closest Rite Aid is about a mile away in Rego Park.

The company also said that it "strive[s] to transfer associates to other Rite Aid locations where possible," but employees in Forest Hills reportedly said that they aren't being provided with other suitable work.

The Forest Hills Rite Aid closure marks the latest in a wave of pharmacy chain closures across Queens, including other Rite Aid outposts and Walgreens stores.

It's unclear what will happen to the Forest Hills pharmacy building, located at 71-14 Austin Street; as of the time of this article's publication, demolition or building permits haven't been filed at the location, Patch found.