The layoffs are expected to begin in the coming weeks, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing.
Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff
MARYLAND — Rite Aid will lay off more than 360 employees in the coming months as the company files for bankruptcy, closes stores and attempts to sell its assets.
According to a WARN notice filed with the Maryland Department of Labor, Rite Aid will lay off 363 people at its mid-Atlantic distribution center, located at 601 Chelsea Rd. in Aberdeen.
In the notice, Rite Aid said it would close the facility by June 4.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act is a federal law designed to protect workers, their families and communities. It requires employers to provide notice 60 days before a business closing or mass layoff.
The pharmacy chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, its second in as many years. While the company initially said all stores would remain open as it attempts to sell its assets, court documents filed Tuesday identified dozens of stores slated for closure. No Maryland locations were on the list.
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However, a flyer from A&G Real Estate Partners indicates that nearly all of Rite Aid's 1,240 stores will be listed for sale. The flyer lists 1,187 retail leases and 50 fee-owned properties across 15 states, including 23 in Maryland.
Rite Aid has 23 remaining stores in Maryland after closing several in 2023 and 2024.
Rite Aid said customers can continue to access pharmacy services and products in stores and online, including prescriptions and immunizations. In connection with the sale process and court-supervised proceedings, the company said it is working to facilitate a smooth transfer of customer prescriptions to other pharmacies.
Rite Aid has eight million pharmacy customers.
Rite Aid Rewards points are no longer being issued, and existing points and bonus cash will also expire per the terms and conditions. The company will also no longer honor gift cards or accept any returns or exchanges beginning June 5.
Rite-Aid is the nation's third-largest pharmacy chain behind CVS and Walgreens. All three have suffered financial difficulties and shuttered hundreds of stores in recent years.
Rite-Aid operated about 2,000 pharmacies as recently as 2023 but now has only about 1,240 stores as it enters its second bankruptcy.
Patch editor Eric Heyl contributed to this report.