Overview
- Walgreens now expects to close fewer than 100 stores during 2026 as part of a multiyear store optimization program.
- The company has confirmed or been linked to recent closures across at least a dozen states, including specific addresses in California, Illinois, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
- Walgreens and reporting outlets cite expiring leases, weak sales, consolidation of distribution centers, lower pharmacy reimbursement rates, and theft and safety costs as reasons for individual store shutdowns.
- Customers of closed stores do not need to transfer prescriptions manually because records move across the Walgreens network and affected patrons are eligible for 90 days of free prescription delivery.
- The cuts follow an October 2024 plan to shutter about 1,200 underperforming locations and a slower pace of closures after the August 2025 Sycamore Partners buyout, leaving the chain with roughly 8,000 U.S. sites and raising local concerns about service gaps in some neighborhoods.