Five Walgreens Stores Closing in Communities with Predominantly Black and Brown Residents

CHICAGO (WLS) — A pharmacy giant is closing five stores in Chicago.

Those locations are part of more than a thousand under-performing stores being closed by Walgreens nationwide.

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The closures will affect residents in Chicago’s predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods, where the stores are slated to close.

Some seniors like Constance Hatchett don’t know what to do now that more Walgreens locations will be closing down.

“It’s a bad issue; it’s bad. We need Walgreens because of our medicine. We’re seniors. We need it in our communities,” Hatchett said.

The second-largest chain of pharmacy stores in the United States has revealed plans to shut down five of its stores by the end of February. These stores are situated in neighborhoods on the South and West sides of the city, including one in Little Village.

The specific locations to be closed are:
– 3405 S. King Drive in Bronzeville
– 4005 W. 26th St. in Little Village
– 7111 S. Western Ave. in South Shore
– 7109 S. Jeffery Blvd. in South Shore
– 9148 S. Commercial Ave. in South Chicago

“Walgreens is still trying to make their money, but they don’t want to do it in the Black and brown communities,” resident Albert Robinson said.

According to a spokesperson from Walgreens in an email, the recent decision to close these stores is in line with a previously disclosed business strategy, which includes the closure of 1,200 locations over a three-year period. The spokesperson mentioned that factors such as growing regulatory requirements and financial constraints have made it challenging to sustain the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supplies, making the closure of stores a difficult but necessary choice.

The company says it plans on “re-deploying” employees from closing stores while transferring pharmacy customers’ prescriptions.

While at an unrelated event advocating for affordable housing for seniors, community activist the Rev. Robin Hood said the closures will be a devastating blow for those already struggling to get their medications.

“It’s wrong. Walgreens is wrong for coming into this community all these years and closing it up,” Hood said.

After seeing several drugstores close in recent years, Del-Kar drugstore owner Edwin Muldrow, whose father opened in 1960 what is now the only Black-owned drugstore left in Chicago, says when corporate pharmacy chains abandon communities, they leave behind pharmacy deserts.

“So, when you take the prescription services out of the community, where are the seniors going to go and purchase food, purchase basic health care items?” Muldrow said.

No suburban locations are included in this planned closure.

Walgreens says the locations scheduled for closing should be shuttered by the end of next month.