Walgreens to close 150 stores

Walgreens to close 150 stores

Walgreens plans to close some 150 stores in the latest in a series of cost-cutting strategies.

The chain has not announced a timeline for the shutdowns or which locations will be impacted but USA Today reported they are expected to occur before the end of Walgreens’ 2024 fiscal year in May 2024.

The announcement comes as Chief Executive Officer Roz Brewer said during a recent earnings call sales had not met “overall expectations.”

“We have seen changing market trends that have consumers prioritizing value in response to a more uncertain and challenging economic environment,” she said, according to The Hill. The chain is “closely watching emerging challenges to consumer spending and sentiment, such as the end of fiscal stimulus and the resumption of student loan payments.”

Walgreens will also close about 300 locations in the United Kingdom.

There are nearly 9,000 Walgreens stores in the U.S., with about 1,100 currently open for reduced operating hours, The Hill reported.