Drugstore Chain Is Closing Popular South Jersey Store

Walgreens has announced the closing of a popular South Jersey location as part of a plan to close 1,200 stores nationwide over the next three years.

Rio Grand Walgreens is Closing

The Walgreens at 330 Rt 9 South in Rio Grande has posted signs saying it will be closing on March 24th and customers who use the pharmacy of the Rio Grande store will have their prescription information transferred to the Walgreens in North Cape May.

On a Wildwood Facebook page, contributor Dan Robinson said that the Rio Grande Walgreens has been an active part of the community for 10 years and it will be missed by its customers.

There is no immediate word on whether Walgreens has offered the store's employees positions in other Walgreens stores.

The store's closing will leave a large void in a prominent retail space on Rt. 9 across from the Grand Center in Rio Grande.

More New Jersey Walgreens Are Closing

Two Walgreens stores in Monmouth County, NJ will be shutting their doors soon.

The Walgreens store in Lincroft.will close on March 17th.

The Asbury Park store is set to close on Thursday, March 27. Walgreens posted this statement about the Asbury Park store's closing.

"Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing and supply needs."

 

Walgreens Plans to Close 1,200 Stores Across U.S.

Walgreens is the third largest pharmacy chain in America with 8,476 stores, including about 180 locations in New Jersey as of January 2025, according to scrapehero.com.

The company announced in October 2024 that it planned to close 500 locations nationwide this fiscal year.

The closures were announced as the Illinois-based company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $3 billion.

At the time, Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said in a statement that the drugstore business is seeing shrinking profits.

 "We continue to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the U.S.consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics, which have eroded pharmacy margins."