CVS Pharmacy is forced to close its doors for good in a major East Coast city after repeatedly being targeted by shoplifters.
The major pharmacy chain announced it will close its Washington, DC, location in Columbia Heights on February 29.
The impending closure comes months after a disturbing video made rounds on social media last October showing the CVS location with nearly all of its shelves empty.
A security guard at the location told local Fox affiliate WTTG at the time that shoplifters target the store every five minutes.
Staff who work at the location alleged to the outlet that a group of 45 or more teens regularly go into the store and steal items.
The kids are accused of stealing goods like chips and drinks before school, after school, and late at night.
The upcoming closure is the latest blow for CVS – a company barely staying afloat due to loss of profits over the years.
CVS announced in early January that it will close around 900 stores, or about 10 percent of its locations in the US, between 2023 and 2024.
At the end of 2023, about 600 CVS locations shut their doors for good as part of the company’s plan.
By April, an additional 300 locations will shutter for good.
Among the 300 locations are pharmacies located inside Target stores.
A CVS spokesperson previously told The U.S. Sun: “The closures are part of our plan to realign our national retail footprint and reduce store and pharmacy density and are based on our evaluation of changes in population, consumer buying patterns, and future health needs to ensure we have the right pharmacy format in the right locations for patients.”
The company did not confirm exactly which locations it will close.
CVS is not the only pharmacy chain struggling with store closures.
Walgreens announced last June that it would lose 150 nationwide stores by August 2024.
Meanwhile, Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October and is in the process of closing around 200 stores nationwide.