LAKE STEVENS — When Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy in October, the company said it would close 154 stores nationwide.
This month, Rite Aid added another two dozen locations to the list, including three Washington stores.
The Pennsylvania-based pharmacy chain now plans to shutter the Lake Stevens Rite Aid store at 303 91st Ave. NE.
The store will close Nov. 19, Rite Aid confirmed Friday in a statement to The Daily Herald.
“Rite Aid regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently,” the company said. “The decision to close a store is not one we take lightly.”
On Nov. 2, Rite Aid filed a notice in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey with plans to close another 24 stores, for a total of 178. The filing listed three Bartell drug stores slated for closure: two in Seattle at 6401 12th Ave. NE and 1101 Madison St., and one in Kirkland at 312 Central Way.
However, it did not list the store in Lake Stevens.
The chain also operates a Bartell Drugs at 9010 Market Place in Lake Stevens. Currently, there are no plans to close that location, the company said in an email.
These three Snohomish County stores have already closed or will close:
• 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.
The bankruptcy comes as Rite Aid faces 1,600 opioid-related lawsuits and struggles to compete with larger chains, like CVS and Walgreens. Rite Aid already has reached several settlements, including one announced last year with the state of West Virginia for up to $30 million.
Rite Aid has almost $4 billion in debt, according to court documents.
Rite Aid has said it is transferring store workers and customers’ pharmacy prescriptions to other Rite Aid locations “where possible.” About 75% of workers at stores on the closure list have accepted opportunities to transfer to other locations, the company said Friday.
The company operates more than 2,000 stores, mostly on the West and East coasts.
In October, with the “support of certain financial stakeholders,” Rite Aid voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to “reduce our debt,” the company said.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a court-supervised process that allows a firm to operate while it seeks to strengthens its financial footing.
Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @JanicePods.
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