Rite Aid, which purchased Seattle-based Bartell Drugs in 2020, announced Wednesday it will be permanently closing the Ballard Bartell Drugs.
The location on 15th and Market will be closing on June 8.
According to a media release from Rite Aid, the store will be closed “on a variety of factors including business strategy, lease and rent conditions and viability, and store performance.”
Drug stores in the area have been a hotbed of shoplifting, with stores closing over crime concerns.
In 2019, Bartell Drugs shut down a downtown Seattle location due to crime.
In 2020, a Bartell Drugs in Bellevue was burglarized, where they broke display glass to steal what appeared to be alcohol, according to surveillance video.
Here’s the full statement from Rite Aid on the Ballard closure:
Like all retail businesses, we regularly review each of our locations to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers, communities and overall business. 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. 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.