A massive convenience store is now closing locations in the Bay area after announcing plans to shutter 1,200 stores nationwide.
Walgreens has confirmed that three of its locations in the East Bay will close, a decision that comes just two months after the pharmacy chain announced plans to shut down 1,200 stores across the country as part of an effort to enhance profitability and manage operating costs.
A spokesperson for the company shared this news with SFGATE on Thursday.
The affected Walgreens locations include the store at 3434 High Street in Oakland, which will close its doors for the final time on January 22.
Additionally, two other stores located at 5809 Foothill Boulevard in Oakland and 1150 Macdonald Avenue in Richmond are scheduled to shut down on January 30.
To ensure continuity of care for customers, Walgreens will automatically transfer prescriptions from the High Street and Foothill Boulevard stores to the Walgreens at 3232 Foothill Boulevard in Oakland.
For those affected by the closure of the Macdonald Avenue store, prescriptions will be redirected to the location at 13691 San Pablo Avenue in San Pablo.
In a statement, the spokesperson emphasized the importance of the retail pharmacy sector to Walgreens’ long-term strategy.
However, they also noted that increasing regulatory challenges and reimbursement pressures are impacting the company’s ability to manage costs related to rent, staffing, and supplies.
Following these closures, Oakland will retain six Walgreens locations, while Richmond will no longer have any Walgreens stores.
“Deciding to close a store is never easy,” the spokesperson remarked.
“We recognize the significance of our stores in the communities we serve, and we strive to improve store performance whenever possible.
When closures become necessary, as seen in the Bay Area, we collaborate with community stakeholders to minimize disruptions for our customers.”
Employees at the affected stores will have the opportunity to transfer to nearby Walgreens locations, according to the spokesperson, who added that the evaluation of the company’s store footprint is an ongoing process.
They assured that impacted team members, patients, and customers would receive advance notice of any changes.
However, the spokesperson did not provide details on whether other stores in the Bay Area might also be affected by the nationwide closure plans.
The most recent closure in San Francisco was the Walgreens at 275 Sacramento Street, which shut down in late February.
As for what will replace the closed stores, no specific plans have been announced yet.
However, local family-owned supermarket Casa Guadalupe has filed planning documents to open a store at a former Walgreens location on Chavez Street in the Mission District, a site that has remained vacant for some time.
This strategic downsizing follows comments made by Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth, who indicated that approximately a quarter of the company’s 8,600 stores nationwide were underperforming.
With over 580 stores operating in California—making it the state with the second-highest number of Walgreens locations after Florida—the recent closures reflect broader trends in the retail pharmacy industry as companies adapt to changing market conditions and consumer behavior.
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