Nearly a year after Rite Aid shuttered 70 Pittsburgh-area stores during its bankruptcy proceedings, the retail fallout has left a distinct divide across southwestern Pennsylvania.
Some towns remain pharmacy deserts, while others are seeing vacant storefronts claimed by dollar stores.
For communities losing their only pharmacy, the closures created an immediate crisis.
“It’s been difficult,” said Nathan Bundy, mayor of Derry Borough, where the town’s lone pharmacy closed.
Bundy and his family were among the many local residents who transferred their prescriptions to a CVS on Route 30, about 20 minutes away. In Pennsylvania, CVS acquired the prescription files of 173 Rite Aid pharmacies, according to Amy Thibault, executive director of corporate communications for CVS Health.
Now, the town has nowhere to quickly buy daily essentials, Bundy said.
“You could at least go to Rite Aid and pick up a couple things,” he said.
Much like Derry, the residents of Scottdale have “greatly” felt the impact of Rite Aid’s departure, Mayor Lindy House said. She noted senior citizens and residents without cars no longer have a pharmacy within walking distance, forcing them to rely on neighbors or prescription delivery services.
“It’s been pretty tough,” House said.
The closures have left prominent commercial vacancies scattered across the region.
In Harrison, the former Rite Aid is on the market for $1.75 million. Similar vacancies persist on Oregon Drive in Lower Burrell; on the corner of Pleasant Valley Road and Route 130 in Penn Township; on East Pittsburgh and North Main streets in Greensburg; and at the intersection of Frankstown and Saltsburg roads in Penn Hills, where the property is listed for about $1.6 million. In Rostraver, the former store is listed for $3.9 million.
Rite Aid properties are owned by a variety of entities, including private companies, limited liability companies and international banks such as Wells Fargo. A large number of stores statewide are owned by Rite Aid of Pennsylvania.
Dollar Tree takeover
Where pharmacies have vanished, discount retailers are increasingly stepping in. Dollar Tree has actively assumed several former Rite Aid sites.
In a series of LinkedIn posts, Martin Gordon, a new store construction project manager for Dollar Tree, noted a new location is coming to the former Latrobe Rite Aid. Gordon did not respond to a message seeking comment, and Dollar Tree corporate officials declined to comment.
Latrobe City Manager Sue Trout said while it was convenient to have a pharmacy downtown, other options remain nearby.
“I feel like the public stance is positive because we believe in business, and we are happy to have a business located there,” Trout said.
About a month ago, a Dollar Tree opened inside a former Rite Aid in Forest Hills. Mayor Patricia DeMarco said a company representative told her the store has been busy since opening.
“People feel bad that they lost another pharmacy but there has been no negative (feedback),” DeMarco said.
Another Dollar Tree is under construction at the former Scottdale site, House said. When it comes to local sentiment surrounding the discount store’s arrival, House described it as “a mixed bag” — some residents are excited, while others had hoped for a full-service grocery store.
“I’m glad the building is not going to be left vacant long-term and turn into a blighted property,” House said. “Any business opening up in town boosts the economy.”
Scottdale Borough Manager Stacey Coffman said the store is slated to open around the beginning of August. Coffman said the location will benefit residents by providing jobs and offering nonperishable food items.
Back in Derry, Bundy said he hopes a business that sells fresh produce eventually fills his town’s vacant building, though he acknowledges local officials have no control over whether a dollar store moves in.
“If that’s what happens, that’s what happens,” Bundy said.
Vast network
Dollar Tree’s acquisition of these properties reflects a widespread trend for the retail giant. According to the company’s latest financial reports, Dollar Tree operates a network of more than 9,000 stores across North America.
While discount retail fills the physical real estate, it does not solve the growing crisis of “pharmacy deserts” — defined as areas where the nearest drugstore is more than 5 miles away.
Industry experts note independent pharmacies are struggling to fill the void left by Rite Aid due to low prescription reimbursement rates set by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), the corporate middlemen of the healthcare industry.
While state lawmakers have pushed for tighter regulations on PBMs to help community drugstores survive, regional supermarket giant Giant Eagle and national chain CVS have absorbed the vast majority of stranded local patients.
Alternative redevelopments
Not all former Rite Aids have followed the dollar store path.
A Monroeville site that closed in 2023 was transformed into a Phantom Fireworks showroom. Years before the chain’s bankruptcy filings, a Tarentum store that closed in 2018 was donated to a local church, Abundant Joy Fellowship.
Elsewhere, an Oakmont location became a Dollar General, and Steel Strong Community Federal Credit Union purchased the former downtown Elizabeth pharmacy in February.