Rite Aid, a well-known pharmacy chain famous for its in-store ice cream, has officially closed all of its stores nationwide.
The company confirmed this closure in a statement on its website, thanking customers for their "many years of support."
This closure comes after Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice within a year—the first time in October 2023 and again in May 2025, USAToday reported. As part of its bankruptcy plan, Rite Aid decided to shut down all remaining locations.
In May, Rite Aid CEO Matt Schroeder explained the financial struggles the company faced. He said, "Our challenges were intensified by the rapidly evolving retail and healthcare landscapes."
Schroeder emphasized that the company's focus was to keep pharmacy services available for customers and to preserve jobs for employees as much as possible during the transition.
At its peak, Rite Aid operated more than 5,000 stores across the United States. However, by May 2025, the number had dropped to 1,240 stores in 15 states.
According to data from ScrapeHero, Rite Aid was operating just 89 stores across 78 cities as of late September 2025.
🚨Breaking: Rite Aid has officially shuttered its final stores nationwide after back-to-back bankruptcies. From 2,450+ locations in 2022 to zero today—RIP to a pharmacy era. pic.twitter.com/5SG7vBGdYT
— Aaron Dibert (@dibert_aaron) October 3, 2025
Rite Aid Sells Thrifty Ice Cream for $19.2M
To help customers during this change, Rite Aid made arrangements with other major pharmacy chains, including CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger, and Giant Eagle.
These companies are now handling prescription transfers for former Rite Aid customers. The company's website now offers tools for customers to find new pharmacies and request their pharmacy records.
Rite Aid also sold its famous Thrifty Ice Cream brand in June. According to People, Hilrod Holdings purchased the ice cream brand for $19.2 million, a sale that was approved by a federal judge in July.
The company's financial difficulties trace back several years. Rite Aid first filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after reporting $750 million in losses just one year earlier.
The bankruptcy case also involved resolving hundreds of lawsuits accusing the company of ignoring warning signs related to opioid prescriptions.
Despite coming out of bankruptcy in 2024, Rite Aid still carried $2.5 billion in debt.
The company's struggles reflect a broader trend in the drugstore industry, where nearly a third of US drugstores closed between 2010 and 2021.
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