As Walgreens and Rite Aid shutter thousands of stores, a rival that could kill their business is opening 20 new pharmacies

While supplier stores crossed nan US are struggling, Amazon has plans for 20 caller pharmacies adjacent year. 

In a cost-saving move, Walgreens said earlier this period that it would shut 1,200 stores complete nan adjacent 3 years.

Rite Aid, meanwhile, has closed hundreds of brick-and-mortar locations crossed nan country after filing for bankruptcy successful October 2023, leaving thousands of customers without a section drugstore to prime up captious medications. 

Amazon is taking a different attack to nan accepted supplier store, however, by introducing a digital-first drugstore which delivers to a customer's doorway - overmuch for illustration its e-commerce site. 

Customers successful 20 caller locations including Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Diego will beryllium capable to get free accelerated transportation of medicine medicines successful 2025, nan institution announced. 

'Amazon is leveraging its immense logistics web and precocious automation exertion to lick 1 of pharmacy's biggest symptom points: nan deficiency of convenient, affordable entree to medications,' nan institution said successful a statement. 

The caller pharmacies will beryllium embedded successful Amazon's Same-Day Delivery sites, and customers will besides person 24/7 entree to a pharmacist. 

The institution predicts that by nan extremity of 2025, 45 percent of US customers will beryllium eligible for same-day transportation of their medicine medications. 

In astir cases, that intends a customer tin bid medicine by 4 p.m. and person it astatine location by 10 pm, Amazon said.

The acceleration of Amazon Pharmacy, which launched successful 2020, comes arsenic companies for illustration CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens person announced wide closures and worker layoffs. 

The latest shop closure announcement by Walgreens earlier this month means that by 2027, 1 successful 7 Walgreens will person closed its doors.

The move comes arsenic portion of caller CEO Tim Wentworth's bid to move astir nan struggling drugstore chain.

Experts person blamed nan expanding fame of online supplier services and financial hardship for galore closures of brick-and-mortar operations. 

Chains person been battered by shrinking medicine reimbursements, rising costs, persistent theft, and consumers shifting to online retailers aliases lower-priced competitors. 

Amazon Pharmacy said it is providing a solution to nan growing prevalence of 'pharmacy deserts' crossed nan US. 

A caller study found that astir half of US counties person communities complete 10 miles from nan nearest pharmacy, and accepted mail-order prescriptions tin return up to 10 days to arrive. 

'We are reimagining wellness attraction transportation to meet customers wherever they are - online, connected nan go, and astatine home,' John Love, VP of Amazon Pharmacy, said successful a statement.