Unless you haven't paid attention to the news within the last 24 hours, you would well be aware that Walgreens has announced plans to merge with the 3rd largest pharmacy Rite Aid to form one LARGE company. Between the Family Dollar and Dollar Tree merger and now this, Walmart definitely must be feeling some heat.
I bring this topic up because the Rite Aid may stick around at first, but Walgreens has said they would likely phase the Rite Aid name out eventually. This begs the question to me personally how many exactly will close.The small main street Rite Aid I did a post on back in August seems unfit for a Walgreens to want.
I can understand the general reasoning for Walgreens buying Rite Aid. Within an hour radius of my location there are only two Walgreens locations while Rite Aid has at least 6 locations within the same radius. (The funny thing is that the two Walgreens are both former Rite Aid locations that had relocated to former nearby Eckerd locations due to an overlap in that town.) Also, Walgreens doesn't have nearly as many PA locations as the PA-based Rite Aid does.
However there is also a downside to this merger, I know in most places that Walgreens and Rite Aid may literally have a location right across the street from each other. Here's just a few examples in Twin Tiers coverage area:
Bath, NY:
Penn Yan, NY:
Irondeqouit, NY:
Although Rite Aid was never really something I considered doing, its likely you'll start seeing some more Rite Aid posts in the future to remember the name while it is still alive. I won't be able to get all of the designs below but I should be able to get most of them. I leave you with a few exterior shots of the different designs I have taken. If you have any additional information on a Rite Aid design or pictures please leave a comment below or send an e-mail at natehenderson6@gmail.com.
Other than the modern design, I don't know if the interior is different by design or not.
Small-Town/Limited Space Design: (Cities likely have this layout)
Diamond Window Design:
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| This style can be seen as red signage on white as seen above or the more common white on blue as seen below. |
Peaked-Roof Design:
'Getting Fancy' Design:
Former Standalone Eckerd Locations: (can also come in tan)
Shopping Center/Mall Location: (Usually former Eckerd locations)
Modern/Wellness Design: (Rite Aid's newest design)
I suppose I should go check out the two Rite Aids near me one day soon. Like you say, it'll be interesting how this ultimately plays out. Definitely a major deal in, for example, the Twin Tiers, but not so much in the Mid-South...
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see a Rite Aid. Then yes, I definitely recommend you visit one ASAP.
DeleteRite Aid had a very short run in FL from 1988-1995 after they bought Kroger's SupeRx Drug stores when Kroger pulled out of Florida that same year. Eckerd and Walgreens were very well established in Florida at the time, and ended up driving newcomer Rite Aid out of the state. Rite Aid did open a few Florida stores on their own after the acquisition, however they were very rare and I've only been able to track down one, which I have photographed but have yet to upload. Sad to see another well established name disappear this year (even if it may not be right away). I've seen pictures of Rite Aid's newest interior with the circular signage, and I actually like it compared to the rather dull interiors Walgreens and CVS have been using recently. This acquisition will definitely help Walgreens establish a stronger presence in the Northeast, where their store count is still rather small, however I'm still not sure how the FTC is going to like this deal with the large number of Rite Aids and Walgreens being so close to each other in many areas (like I said in the comment of flickr yesterday).
ReplyDeleteI agree about the FTC thing. As I mentioned in the post, there are cases where two are right across the street from each other. There is obviously going to be some abandoning of some locations if the FTC is to approve.
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