12 more Rite Aid stores closing in Michigan, the latest for bankrupt chain

• Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy in October
• It had already closed more than 500 stores nationwide, according to one report
• On Monday, additional Michigan stores were advised of their pending closure, and court documents named 12 of them

June 21: Rite Aid sends mixed messages as Michigan braces for more closures

A year after marking its 60th birthday, Rite Aid will shut down at least another dozen remaining Michigan sites as it struggles in bankruptcy.

Court filings indicated that the chain will soon close two stores in Burton as well as stores in Livonia, Flint, Ludington, Wyandotte, Spring Lake, Bay City, Marlette, Grosse Pointe Farms, Milford and Allen Park.

More than a dozen Ohio stores also will close. See the latest list of Rite Aid stores slated to close here and find previously announced Michigan store closings here and here. 

Bridge Michigan has left several messages with Rite Aid, but none were returned.

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Rite Aid began in Scranton, Pa, more than 60 years ago, but had struggled in recent years. The chain filed for bankruptcy in October and began shedding underperforming stores — more than 500, according to one analysis, and including 19 in Michigan. 

The Rite Aid website lists 185 Michigan stores altogether.

Pharmacies have struggled in recent years against falling reimbursements and benefits managers that take an increasing cut of revenues, Eric Roath, director of government affairs of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, told Bridge Michigan.

“The financial pressures have to stop,” Roath said. “This is unsustainable.”

Until now, that squeeze has been most acutely felt among small, independent pharmacists that ultimately have been forced to close, especially in rural stretches. But Rite Aids that have shuttered over the past year have cut options in urban areas, too, he said.

“Any time we lose a pharmacy, it makes it more difficult for our patients to get medication,” he said.

That’s especially true for the elderly or those with complex medical conditions that make travel a challenge. Moreover, fewer pharmacies mean longer wait times at remaining locations and increasing pressures on remaining staff, he said.

The chain, like its rivals, also had faced lawsuits over its distribution of opioid painkillers. Among its accusers, in a complaint filed last year, was the U.S. Justice Department.