Walgreens closes more stores in 2026, but scope of pullback remains unclear

August 4, 2026

Walgreens is continuing to close stores in 2026 under new private ownership, though the extent of its updated closure plans for this year is not fully clear.

The company said in October 2024 that it planned to close 1,200 underperforming stores over three years, with about 500 of those closures occurring in fiscal 2025. Walgreens estimated at the time that a quarter of its roughly 8,700 U.S. locations were unprofitable amid weakening retail sales and lower pharmacy reimbursement rates.

Ownership changed hands in August 2025, when Walgreens went private following its acquisition by Sycamore Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. Sycamore acquired the company in partnership with Stefano Pessina and his family, who reinvested the entirety of their existing stake. Mike Motz, formerly of Staples US Retail, was named chief executive officer, replacing Tim Wentworth, who remains on the board as a director. John Lederer, a former Walgreens Boots Alliance director, was named executive chairman of the newly private company.

Under the new ownership, Walgreens has continued closing locations in 2026, though the company has not publicly issued an updated nationwide closure target. Inc. reported that fewer than 100 stores are expected to close this year — down, the outlet said, from earlier internal projections closer to 700 — but the publication did not identify a named source, company document or statement supporting either figure, and it said Walgreens did not respond to its request for comment. The 700 figure appears to reflect the remaining two years of the original 1,200-store, three-year plan after the roughly 500 closures counted in fiscal 2025, rather than a confirmed calendar-2026 target.

Walgreens’ corporate materials currently list its footprint at roughly 8,000 U.S. locations, down from about 8,500 at the time of the Sycamore acquisition. Industry rankings continue to place the chain as the second-largest U.S. pharmacy operator by store count, behind CVS.

Some closures have extended beyond retail storefronts. Walgreens shut down a 500,000-square-foot distribution center at 1805 Greens Road near Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, resulting in 159 layoffs as the company consolidates deliveries through a facility in Waxahachie, Texas. That address appeared on Inc.’s list of 2026 store closures under Texas, though it is the distribution center, not a retail pharmacy.

Individual store closures have been attributed to expiring leases, underperforming sales and, in some cases, theft and safety concerns. In Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, the planned closure of a location on South Cottage Grove Avenue — set for June 4 — drew a public backlash in May, with Ald. William Hall accusing the company of “corporate abandonment” after Walgreens cited rising theft and violent incidents at the store.

Inc. compiled the following list of Walgreens retail locations it identified as closing in 2026, spanning 10 states and the District of Columbia. The outlet described the list as one it “compiled,” not one confirmed by Walgreens, and it is not clear whether it is exhaustive.

California