SEATTLE — In a recent press release, the Bartell pharmacy in Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood will be closing on Sept. 10 as confirmed by management on Tuesday.
The day before, store employees had told customers that the store would be closing permanently. This closure is the latest of many others after Rite Aid bought the Bartell chain back in 2020.
“A decision to close a store is one we take very seriously and is based on a variety of factors including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance,” said Senior Manager Alicja Wojczyk. “We review every neighborhood to ensure our customers will have access to health services, be it at Bartell Drugs or a nearby pharmacy, and we work to seamlessly transfer their prescriptions so there is no disruption of services. We also strive to transfer associates to other Bartell Drugs or Rite Aid locations where possible.”
According to the Seattle Times, Rite Aid has faced “increasing net losses” and there are rumors that the company plans to file for bankruptcy in hopes of slowing various lawsuits.
Rite Aid has not confirmed this rumor or that it was the cause of the store closure.
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