Walgreens plans to close up to 25% of its stores in U.S. Here’s what we know

Jessica Payne
Brittany McGee

Walgreens plans to close a significant number of its roughly 8,600 locations across the United States that continue to under perform.

In a June 2024 third quarter fiscal results report, Chief Executive Officer Tim Wentworth said the company continues to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the U.S. consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics which have eroded pharmacy margins.

“Our results and outlook reflect these headwinds, despite solid performance in both our International and U.S. Healthcare segments,” he said.

In a statement to The Telegraph, a Walgreens spokesperson stated that approximately 25% of Walgreens stores are not contributing to the company’s long-term strategy.

It went on to state the company is finalizing an optimization program that it expects will include closing a significant portion of locations over the next three years.

“While we cannot announce any specific closures right now, when we make the decision to close a store, we have processes in place to ease the transition for the communities affected,” the statement read.

Wentworth said, informed by the company’s strategic review, it is focused on improving its core business: retail pharmacy, which is central to the future of healthcare. He also said the company is addressing critical issues with urgency and working to unlock opportunities for growth.

“Many of these actions will take time, but I am confident that we have the right team and the right strategy to lead a business turnaround for the Walgreens that our customers and patients need,” he said.

According to an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Wentworth said the company expects that it will be able to reassign staffers so that its U.S. retail footprint reduction “doesn’t result in a meaningful loss of jobs.”

Walgreens locations in Middle Georgia include:

Macon

  • 3888 Vineville Avenue

  • 4305 Mercer University Drive

  • 6035 Zebulon Road

Gary

  • 274 West Clinton Street

Warner Robins

  • 1880 Watson Boulevard

  • 2835 Watson Boulevard

  • 102 Russell Parkway

  • 1081 Georgia Highway 96

Perry

  • 1100 Ball Street

The Walgreens at 2510 Wynnton Road. in Columbus permanently closed its doors in April.

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