Like many other chains, Walgreens has been struggling since declining consumer spending since the pandemic.
Drops in spending, competition from CVS and Costco and online stores such as Amazon, and customer dissatisfaction from increasing amounts of locked-up merchandise have al had their way with the bottom line. An April agreement to pay $300 million to settle allegations it illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances didn’t help, either.
The pharmacy-convenience store chain announced in October 2024 it would be closing about 1,200 stores across the U.S. and has increased its use of robots to fill prescriptions.
However, a new collaboration could bring more medical care. Premier Medical, a Central Florida-based medical group under NeueHealth, is opening in-store clinics at two Florida Walgreens in July, one in Davenport and one in Orlando. Specific locations in those cities were not released.
According to a July 16 release, the clinics will offer a range of services including primary care, preventive screenings, and chronic condition management for diabetes, hypertension and heart conditions and will serve patients enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, commercial, and select Medicaid plans.
“We offer both appointment and walk-ins for both locations,” Premier Medical Vice-President of Growth and Development Danilo Arsenijevith said in an email. The Orlando Walgreens clinic opened on July 7, the Davenport one is coming July 28, she said.
“We’re bringing trusted, high-quality care directly into our stores — making it easier for patients to get the services they need, right in their neighborhood,” said Young Chang, Regional Healthcare Director for Walgreens.
Which Florida Walgreens will have new in-store clinics?
The Walgreens locations getting the new clinics are:
A third is planned for an Ocala Walgreens later this year and Premier Medical is looking at a location in Eustis for early 2026, Arsenijevith said, with plans for other locations in Central Florida.
Walgreens closing Florida stores
Walgreens said it planned to close about 1,200 stores across the United States, starting with about 500 stores in fiscal year 2025. That includes at least two in Florida:
Walgreens admits locking up merchandise leads to lower sales
After Walgreens began putting more merchandise in locked cases to prevent theft, the company saw a backlash from shoppers frustrated with the inconvenience and time needed to track down an employee to buy toothpaste and makeup. And Walgreens knows it.
Locking more products up “does impact how sales work through the store because when you lock things up, for example, you don’t sell as many of them,” Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. CEO Timothy Wentworth said during a Jan. 10 call. “We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively.”
Wentworth said the company’s asset protection team is looking at “creative things” to address “the customer experience on shrink.”
Walgreens moving to automation
Since 2021, Walgreens has expanded the number of pharmacies served by micro-fulfillment centers that use robots to fill thousands of customer prescriptions and free up pharmacy staff for more patient interaction.
The company stopped expansion in 2023 to gather feedback and improve the performance at the existing sites, CNBC reported. After more than a year and some upgrades it started up again and the company hopes to have its 11 micro-fulfillment centers serving more than 5,000 stores by the end of the year.
As of February, robot-based centers handled 40% of the prescriptions from the pharmacies they support the company said.
Walgreens to go private under new acquisition
In March, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced it was entering into an agreement to be acquired by an entity affiliated with private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $23.7 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2025, subject to approval by shareholders and other closing conditions.
When it’s completed, Walgreens Boot Alliance will become a private company.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Walgreens health clinics coming to 2 Florida stores. Here’s where
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
