Rite Aid has closed about 200 stores since its filing two months ago for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with potentially more retail locations to close in coming weeks and months, Forbes reported. When Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy protection in mid-October, the drugstore chain didn’t say at that time how many stores would close. “In connection with the court-supervised process, the Company will continue assessing its footprint and close additional underperforming stores,” the company said at the time. But according to the latest tally on the company’s website on Dec. 28, Rite Aid now operates more than 1,900 drugstores across 16 states. That figure is down 200 stores from the date of its bankruptcy filing, Oct. 15, when the company said it operated more than 2,100 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. “Rite Aid regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently while meeting the needs of our customers, communities, associates and overall business,” Rite Aid said Thursday afternoon in a statement. In a filing earlier this month in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, the company revealed an additional 12 store closures. That group was preceded in November by a court filing documenting 31 store closures. And in late October, Rite Aid provided the U.S. Bankruptcy Court with an initial list of 154 stores marked for closure.
