Walgreens plans to close five stores on the South and West sides of Chicago next month, drawing criticism from local leaders.
Four of the stores are on the South Side and one is on the West Side. The closings are part of the Deerfield-based retail pharmacy chain’s plan to shutter 1,200 stores over the next three years, as it struggles with operating losses and aims to cut costs.
“It is never an easy decision to close a store,” Walgreens spokesman Marty Maloney said in a statement. “We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance. When closures are necessary, like those here in Chicago, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions.”
Most of the workers from those Chicago stores will be reassigned elsewhere, he said.
Walgreens had previously said it would close about 500 stores this fiscal year. Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said late last year that of Walgreens’ more than 8,000 stores across the country, about 6,000 were profitable.
Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, said in a statement posted on Facebook that the planned closing of the Little Village location is “deeply disappointing, as it means our residents will lose access to a critical pharmacy resource in their neighborhood.”
He encouraged residents of his ward to use other nearby Walgreens pharmacies and four other locally owned pharmacies.
Local leaders also criticized the closings of the stores on the South Side. Those closings will be a “devastating blow to our communities,” Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago; Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago; Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, D-Chicago; and Aldermen Lamont Robinson, 4th; Desmon Yancy, 5th; and Peter Chico, 10th, said in a statement.
“Corporate chains like Walgreens have driven mom-and-pop pharmacies out of business, consolidating control over vital services in our neighborhoods,” they said in the statement. “Now, as they abandon these communities, they are leaving behind pharmacy deserts that make it even harder for working families to access the care they need.”
The addresses of the Chicago stores that are closing are: 7111 S. Western Ave.; 4005 W. 26th St.; 9148 S. Commercial Ave.; 3405 S. King Drive; and 7109 S. Jeffery Blvd.
