EVERETT — Rite Aid, the Pennsylvania-based pharmacy chain that filed for bankruptcy in October, will close another Everett location this month.
The chain has already closed Bartell Drugs and Rite Aid stores in Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and Everett.
This time, it plans to shutter the Bartell Drugs store at 1825 Broadway.
The store will close Jan. 15, Rite Aid confirmed Wednesday in a statement to The Daily Herald.
In 2020, Rite Aid bought the Seattle-based pharmacy chain founded in 1890.
The Bartell Drugs store on the northeast corner of Broadway and 19th Street has been a neighborhood staple for decades.
A sign above the main entrance to the Broadway Bartell store still says: “Now Hiring.”
Inside, the shelves didn’t look as if they’d been restocked Wednesday. Items in the makeup, candy and food sections were beginning to thin out.
At the checkout stand, a store employee was overheard telling a customer, “It’s OK, I’ve got a new job.”
In a statement, Rite Aid said it “regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently while meeting the needs of our customers, communities, associates and overall business.”
Rite Aid also operates the Bartell Drugs at 3909 Hoyt Ave., next to The Everett Clinic Primary Care. Currently, there are no plans to close the Hoyt Avenue store, Rite Aid said.
Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy in October, citing almost $4 billion in debt, according to court documents.
The company faces 1,600 opioid-related lawsuits and struggles to compete with larger chains, such as CVS and Walgreens. It already has reached several settlements, including one announced in 2022 with the state of West Virginia for up to $30 million.
Bartell Drugs was founded in 1890 when 21-year-old pharmacist George H. Bartell Sr. purchased a small pharmacy in Seattle’s Central District, according to the Bartell website.
In 2020, Rite Aid acquired the chain for $95 million. At the time of the purchase, Bartell operated 67 stores in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.
Since then, Rite Aid has closed about 20 Bartell stores throughout the area, according to a store locator website.
With the “support of certain financial stakeholders,” Rite Aid voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October as it sought to reduce debt, the company said.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a court-supervised process that allows a firm to operate while it seeks to strengthen its financial footing.
Rite Aid operates more than 2,000 stores, mostly on the West and East coasts.
Four Snohomish County stores have already closed. They are:
• Rite Aid at 10103 Evergreen Way, Everett, on Nov. 6
• Rite Aid at 3202 132nd St. SE, Mill Creek, on Nov. 12
• Bartell Drugs at 2518 196th St. SW, Lynnwood, on Nov. 14
• Rite Aid at 303 91st Ave. NE, Lake Stevens, on Nov. 19
Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @JanicePods.
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