DULUTH — The CVS and its pharmacy at 4528 Grand Ave. in West Duluth will permanently close its doors Jan. 28 as part of the company’s strategic realignment, a representative said.
West Duluth CVS prescriptions will be transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 2631 Tower Ave. in Superior.
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“Patients can always choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS Pharmacy, or the pharmacy of their choice if another is more convenient,” said Amy Thibault, lead director of external communications for CVS Pharmacy.
Two CVS Pharmacy locations remain in Duluth at 1215 E. Superior St. and 1902 Miller Trunk Highway. There are more than 120 CVS Pharmacy locations in Minnesota, including those inside Target stores.
CVS offers delivery options through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app for customers and patients with eligible prescriptions, including one- or two-day delivery and same-day on-demand delivery within three hours.
CVS Pharmacy continues to be the largest retail pharmacy in the U.S., with more than 9,000 locations nationwide.
It first announced the realignment of its retail footprint in November 2021. The company’s strategic action aimed to reduce store density, while optimizing its existing stores and pharmacies, according to Thibault.
“We’re focused on ensuring we have the right kinds of stores and the right number of stores in the right locations,” Thibault said. “We’re closing locations strategically to better meet consumers’ health, wellness and pharmacy care needs — as announced more than three years ago — not in reaction to industry pressures.”
Between 2022 and 2024, the drugstore chain shuttered roughly 300 stores per year, totaling 900 closures across the country.
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This adds to a trend of drugstore and pharmacy closures in recent years. Walgreens is projected to close 2,150 underperforming stores nationwide by the end of 2027, citing profitability, proximity to other stores within the chain and struggles with theft.
More customers opting for online prescription orders, as well as lower reimbursement rates for prescription drugs, have added to the challenges for the retail health care industry.
Several factors played into CVS’s decision to close select locations, Thibault said, including population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access and community health needs.
Last year’s CVS closures impacted 5,000 jobs companywide. These employees were reportedly offered commensurate positions elsewhere, as were those working at the West Duluth location.
“All colleagues are being offered comparable roles within the company,” Thibault said. “Ongoing improvements in customer and colleague satisfaction and higher colleague retention reflect the investments we’ve made in our stores and our people.”
In addition to the closures, 100 CVS stores opened in areas of need in 2022-2024.
Following its realignment work, 85% of people in the U.S. will live within 10 miles of a CVS Pharmacy, Thibault noted.
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Nearly 30 CVS Pharmacy locations, including those inside Target stores, are planned to open this year, Thibault said. CVS bought Target’s pharmacy business in 2015 for $1.9 billion. Dozens of CVS Pharmacy locations inside Target stores closed last year.
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