Walgreens Scales Back Planned 2026 Store Closures to Under 100 Following Privatization
The pharmacy chain dramatically reduces footprint reductions after previously projecting roughly 700 store shutdowns.
Walgreens has sharply curtailed its planned store closures for 2026, targeting fewer than 100 shutdowns following its privatization last year, down from earlier internal projections of roughly 700 locations.
The pullback marks a major strategic shift from October 2024, when the pharmacy operator launched a turnaround plan to close approximately 1,200 underperforming stores over a three-year period. At the time, the company anticipated shuttering roughly 500 negative-cash-flow sites during fiscal 2025 alone.
The retail footprint strategy was scaled back after Walgreens was taken private in 2025. Despite the reduction in overall closures, targeted shutdowns continue across specific markets driven by local financial and operational pressures.
Confirmed recent and scheduled location closures span several states, including retail branches in Washington, D.C., Seattle, Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Arlington, St. Louis, Bridgeton, and Rockford, along with two sites in Chicago. Locations in Bogota, New Jersey, and Beaufort, South Carolina, are set to close on Aug. 6, while a distribution facility in Houston, Texas, is also among the affected operations.
The operational difficulties prompting individual store exits were underscored by a Chatham neighborhood site in Chicago, located near 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. The location was designated for closure after generating over $1 million in losses, dragged down by declining prescription sales and elevated theft levels.
Addressing the Chatham shutdown, Walgreens regional Vice President Reginald Johnson emphasized the company’s reluctant stance on shuttering locations. “I’m here today because we’re closing the store at 86th and Cottage Grove. But I just want to make sure everyone understands closing stores [is] not our goal. This is the last resort,” Johnson said.
