Portland Rite Aid Closing Doors

Rite Aid on Grand River Ave. in Portland has become a fixture for many locals for prescription drugs and many other daily needs.  This week however, the pharmacy shut its doors for the last time.  While the retailer was a national chain, many Portlanders came to view it as a part of the community.  That is a part that will be missing from now on.

In recent years the Rite Aid pharmacy chain has faced stiff headwinds.  The company has weathered numerous lawsuits from federal, state and local governments for its role in the national opioid epidemic.  Combined with competition from brick and mortar and online retailers, the chain was forced to file for bankruptcy in October of 2023. Starting in January of this year the chain began shuttering “underperforming” locations and then transitioned to closing several dozen stores at a time.  After the current round of closures, Rite Aid will have about 150 stores left in Michigan and about 2000 nationally as it restructures the company as part of its ongoing bankruptcy and opioid legal settlements.

The most recent block of closures was announced at the end of June, but did not include Portland on the list.  Days later however with no notice, store closing signs went up and items began to be sold at clearance prices.  A Rite Aid employee in Portland has confirmed that as of July 9th the store will transfer all prescriptions to Walgreens in Ionia if other arrangements are not made.  Staff at Tom’s Food Center Pharmacy confirm that they are accepting transfers of prescriptions, though they may initially have a bit of a backlog filling prescription orders.