CVS is deploying 270 store closures in 2025 has customers wondering if their go‑to counter for scripts and flu shots is next.
The new hit list follows a brutal three-year blitz that erased 900 outlets nationwide, a move CVS says ensures it keeps “the right kinds of stores in the right locations.” Yet that corporate spin won’t soothe patients suddenly forced to drive miles for meds orn-prone seniors who counted on the neighborhood pharmacist. A spokesperson confirmed the fresh round to Forbes, noting CVS will backfill some gaps by opening “a dozen or more smaller-format CVS Pharmacy locations” over the next year.
Those minis aren’t copy-paste drugstores, they come in three breeds. First are primary‑care hubsth on-site clinicians. Second are lean retail pharmacies, think fewer seasonal aisles, more efficient script counters. Third are pumped‑up HealthHUBs crammed with wellness gear, testing kits, and pharmacist-delivered services. CVS claims this custom mix lets it flex to local demand while shedding deadwoodd in slow-foot-traffic zones.
The downsizing began in 2021 under CEO Karen Lynch, who absorbed roughly $1 billion in write-offs in Q4 that year to rip out almost 10 percent of CVS’s 10,000‑store footprint. California still hosts 1,000-plus locations, but the overall count now sits just above 9,000, and 2025’s 270‑store cull will drop it again. Lynch swears the survivors are “materially stronger,” yet the chain just booted an insurance network that leaves one million patients in 17 states scrambling, and Pharmacy Services boss David Joyner recently torched drugmakers for a $21 million spike in wholesale costs.
CVS isn’t alone in the pharmacy pain parade. Walgreens Boots Alliance is swinging a $1 billion cost cut that eliminates 1,200 stores; 23 already shut this year, 54 wear “closing down” banners, and around 500 will vanish in 2025 because roughly a quarter of Walgreens sites “are not contributing to our long-term strategy,” CEO Tim Wentworth warns. Rite Aid? The chain is slogging through its second bankruptcy since 2023, planning to ditch at least 68 more outlets after shedding 800 during the first Chapter 11.
Here’s the current scoreboard, distilled from CVS statements, earnings calls, and fresh bankruptcy filings.
| Chain | Stores Closed 2021‑24 | Confirmed 2025 Closures | Why They’re Closing | New Strategy / Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVS | 900 finished | 270 more | Rebalance footprint, ditch low‑traffic & overlapping sites | 12+ small pharmacies, primary‑care hubs, expanded HealthHUBs (cost ≈ $1 B) |
| Walgreens | 77 so far in plan | ≈500 (part of 1,200 target) | $1 B cost‑cut; 25 % of stores underperform | Shrink retail space, boost digital Rx, streamline micro‑fulfillment |
| Rite Aid | 800 post‑2023 Ch. 11 | 68 listed May; more TBD | $8.6 B debt, second bankruptcy | Sell additional sites, negotiate with potential buyers |
Other key facts CVS doesn’t plaster on the window:
- California still hosts the heaviest CVS cluster, over 1,000 stores remain even after cuts.
- Most 2025 closures hit areas with “low foot traffic orting high-performers nearby.”
- CVS hopes new formats “bridge gaps in care,” letting pharmacists handle immunizationsons and chronic-care coaching in neighborhoods where doctors are scarce.
Consumers, however, feel the squeeze first. Lost a CVS? You might pivott to mail-order CarePass or trek farther, an extra burden for folks without wheels or reliable internet. Meanwhile, Walgreens and Rite Aid thinning their ranks supercharges the risk of “pharmacy deserts” in both urban pockets and rural counties. Industry analysts expect the culling to continue as chains chase higher-margin clinical servicesd e-commerce siphons routine refills.
If your CVS suddenly looks emptier than usual and the self-checkout line shrank, keep an eye on local news or the chain’s store-locator updates, bulldozers often follow silence. Until the new mini-hubs and HealthHUBs sprout, 2025 could be a rough ride for millions who just want an easy place to pick up blood-pressure meds or get a quick flu jab.
