The Shattuck Avenue Walgreens in Berkeley is set to close its doors permanently on August 23, marking yet another pharmacy closure in the city over the past few years. This particular location, which has been in operation for around 30 years, was due to be eventually demolished as part of a large development that includes a new 25-story residential towe.

While remaining merchandise is being sold at a significant discount, prescriptions from the Shattuck Avenue location will be transferred to the Walgreens at 2310 Telegraph Avenue. The closure will leave just three Walgreens stores in Berkeley, all with varying hours and limited weekend services, as noted by Berkeleyside.

This recent closure is not an isolated incident - the pharmacy chain has been closing down stores across the Bay Area over the past few years, consolidating locations to cut costs. Walgreens has previously blamed crime for store closures, although the company has also been transitioning its focus to the delivery of local healthcare services. In a statement provided to SFGATE, Walgreens said, “As we move forward on our strategy to expand Walgreens role as a leader in the delivery of local healthcare, we are focused on creating the right network of stores in the right locations to best meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

Shifts in the retail pharmacy landscape have led to several other pharmacies vacating Berkeley in the past two years. In addition to the closures of Walgreens-owned Pharmaca earlier this year, a downtown Berkeley CVS closed in June 2022, leaving residents with fewer options for timely prescription pickup, as Berkeleyside explains. The situation raises concerns about the availability and accessibility of pharmacy services for the local community.

Industry-wide trends are pushing pharmacies to rebrand as primary health care providers. In February, Walgreens acquired Medley Health, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy's parent company, in a $19 million deal, following which all 22 of Pharmaca's California stores closed down. Walgreens' plans to open at least 600 Village Medical locations at Walgreens' primary-care practices around the US by 2025, a move that aligns with the company's commitment to expanding its leadership in healthcare services.

However, the ongoing closure of pharmacies in Berkeley raises questions regarding the impact on access to medications and health services for local residents. With the Shattuck Avenue store closing down - in addition to the North Berkeley Walgreens at Cedar and Shattuck Avenues in 2020 and the Southwest Berkeley store at Ashby and San Pablo Avenues in 2021 - community members may face longer travel times and reduced hours of operation for prescription pickups and other services.