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The prominent American pharmacy retailer Rite Aid has announced the shutdown of its last outlets.

This past Saturday, the company's website was updated with a message indicating: "Every Rite Aid stores have currently shut down. We appreciate our dedicated customers for their long-standing of support." The website also included a link for patrons to request their prescription records.

Founded in 1962, the firm was at one time a leading drugstore chains in the country. At its peak, Rite Aid had up to 5,000 outlets.

However in recent years, the chain faced financial struggles and a federal probe. Recent data showed under 100 locations remained.

Rite Aid had entered bankruptcy in late 2023 and then in mid-2025.

The company also encountered legal troubles over its involvement in the prescription painkiller crisis. In 2022, Rite Aid paid up to $30 million to resolve legal claims alleging it contributed to the spread of opioids in the United States.

In the subsequent year, in its 2023 filing, the company indicated that reorganization would help it "resolve legal claims."

Rite Aid also encountered a federal complaint in which authorities claimed the company's stores processed illegal prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl. The firm agreed to resolution in mid-2024.

Other American drugstore chains have likewise been closing outlets across the country, though various reasons have been mentioned.

From 2021 onward, CVS has closed over 1,000 stores as part of a broader move.

Separately, Walgreens, which was not long ago acquired by investment group Sycamore Partners, closed 500 stores over the past year.

Analysts have expressed concerns about expanding "pharmacy dead zones" in the United States, where a large number of residents live without a pharmacy close by and must travel to get prescriptions filled.