Rite Aid plans to close 11 stores in Washington state, including its Burien store and five Bartell Drugs locations, as part of a nationwide restructuring.
The closures were announced following Rite Aid’s bankruptcy filing earlier this week. The company said it will close 154 stores nationwide, or 7% of its portfolio.
The company will be closing the Burien Rite Aid, and has already closed the Bartell in White Center.
The Bartell in Burien appears to be safe, for now.
The following Rite Aid and Bartell Drugs locations in Washington will close:
- Burien, 110 SW 148th Street (Rite Aid)
- Renton, 601 South Grady Way, Ste. P (Rite Aid)
- Mill Creek, 3202 132nd St., S.E. (Rite Aid)
- Everett, 10103 Evergreen Way (Rite Aid)
- East Lacey, 8230 Martin Way (Rite Aid)
- Graham, 22201 Meridian Ave. (Rite Aid)
- White Center, 9600 15th Ave SW (Bartell)
- Lynnwood, 2518 196th St SW (Bartell)
- Bellevue, 3620 Factoria Blvd SE (Bartell)
- Bellevue, 11919 8th St. (Bartell)
- Redmond, 7370 170th Ave NE (Bartell)
Bartell Drugs was founded more than 100 years ago in 1890, and was a beloved, local chain. Rite Aid acquired it in 2020, and has closed five locations in Washington since then.
The closures are expected to impact about 150 employees. Rite Aid said it will offer severance packages and job placement assistance to affected workers.
The company did not provide a specific reason for the closures, but it is likely due to a number of factors, including increased competition from online retailers and other drugstores. Rite Aid has been struggling financially in recent years, and the bankruptcy filing is an attempt to restructure the company and reduce its debt.
The closures will be a blow to customers who rely on Rite Aid and Bartell Drugs for their pharmacy and other needs. The company said it is committed to serving its customers in the affected communities, and it will continue to operate other stores nearby.
