More pharmacy closures: How it impacts New Jersey

❌ CVS has announced more pharmacy closings beginning in February

❌ The closings will come at Target Stores nationwide

❌ Target has not said if in-store pharmacies will be replaced

Another round of closures had been announced by pharmacy chain CVS.

The closures will impact dozens of CVS brand pharmacies located inside Target stores nationwide.

Target had operated its own pharmacies until CVS bought that part of their business in 2015 for $1.9 billion.

There are now about 1,800 CVS pharmacies located in Target's 1,950 stores in the U.S.

At least 25 Target locations in New Jersey advertise a CVS pharmacy on premises.

New Jersey has already suffered a wave of pharmacy closures from CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

Why is this happening?

Consumers are changing how they fill and receive prescriptions and other health care products. More are turning to on-line services, instead of going to a physical location.

CVS acknowledged as much in a statement to CNN.

A spokesman said the closures were made, in part, based on "consumer buying patterns." The company says they also want to space out pharmacy locations based on "our evaluation of changes in population."

All major pharmacy chains have made similar statements as they cull store locations and staff.

The nation's largest pharmacy chain, Rite Aid, filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

Which stores are closing?

We don't know and CVS is not saying.

The company said the closings would begin in "early 2024," but offered no specifics.

CVS Health did notify the New Jersey Department of Labor that 90 employees in New Jersey would be laid off in January.

Neither CVS nor the Department of Labor would give specifics about the WARN informing the state of the layoffs.

A company spokesman did say the layoffs were part of a greater furlough of 5,000 workers nationally.

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