Grand Island Rite Aid pharmacy section to close June 23

Article and Photo by Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Reporter

As Rite Aid Corp. prepares to close its remaining units as part of ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, the Grand Island store, at 2325 Grand Island Blvd., is one of those that is likely targeted for closing. This is according to a list published June 3 on the WGRZ-TV website.

 A sign on the front door of Grand Island’s store reads: “Pharmacy Closing Starting 06/23/2025.” This does not apply to the whole store, just the pharmacy section, a local store supervisor explained to Niagara Frontier Publications.

The sign tells pharmacy customers on the Island that, as of that date, “Your prescriptions have a new home at Rite Aid #3600,” which is the Rite Aid at 7804 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls.”

The supervisor at the Grand Island store confirmed the store will still be open, at least for the time being, even though the pharmacy section will close later this month. As to the Island store’s ultimate future, she said the staff didn’t know yet: “We have no idea because we didn’t get any date yet, so, let’s see. …”

The supervisor said customer reaction has been sympathetic: “They’re upset we’re closing – they like the store. But we can’t do anything.”

She added the store “can be bought by another company, but it’s not confirmed.”

Niagara Frontier Publications received no reply to requests for comments from Rite Aid’s corporate office about the Grand Island store.

In mid-May, the Rite Aid Corp. posted on its website that it had “successfully entered into a series of sale agreements and pharmacy services transition agreements. This includes the rolling transition of pharmacy assets from more than 1,000 store locations across the U.S. to operators including CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger and Giant Eagle, among others.

“During the transition, Rite Aid stores will remain open, and customers can continue to access their pharmacy services, including prescription refills and immunizations, without interruption,” the Rite Aid website noted.

Matt Schroeder, CEO of Rite Aid, said, “A key priority for Rite Aid is to ensure that as many of our loyal customers as possible continue to receive the pharmacy services and care they require without interruption. These agreements ensure our pharmacy customers will experience a smooth transition while preserving jobs for some of our valued team members.”

 The closures “mark the final phase in a process that began with the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2023, amid mounting debt and hundreds of lawsuits over its alleged role in the opioid crisis,” according to Newsweek.

The Philadelphia-based Rite Aid chain has already closed hundreds of locations over the past year, “and court filings now show plans for a complete wind-down of its retail footprint,” Newsweek reported.

The retailer that had once operated more than 2,000 locations, “has seen a dramatic reduction in footprint as the company seeks to resolve its financial obligations,” the magazine said.

Filings reviewed by the Associated Press show that “the final rounds of store closures are expected to be completed by mid-2025, effectively ending Rite Aid's role as a brick-and-mortar pharmacy provider in the U.S.”