Overview
- Walgreens confirmed Monday it will shut its Chatham store on June 4 and its 27th and North Avenue location in Milwaukee on June 23, blaming persistent theft and violent incidents.
- Prescriptions will move automatically to nearby stores at 1616 E. 87th St. in Chicago and 35th and Wisconsin in Milwaukee, with eligible patients offered 90 days of free delivery and workers offered transfers.
- Chatham residents and local officials protested the decision, as Ald. William Hall called the move “first‑degree corporate abandonment” and warned it would cut off seniors from nearby medication access.
- Milwaukee police logged 122 calls to the 27th and North store last year, including thefts and reports of shots fired, while Hayat Pharmacy on North Avenue said it is preparing to take on more customers.
- Walgreens said it expects to close fewer than 100 U.S. stores in 2026, a scaled‑back plan that follows several South Side shutdowns and eight Milwaukee closures in three years.