By TOM MURPHY, Related Press

Ceremony Assist clients can count on their native retailer to shut or change possession within the subsequent few months, because the struggling drugstore chain goes by one other chapter submitting.

The corporate plans to promote buyer prescription information, stock and different belongings because it closes distribution facilities and unloads retailer places. Shops will stay open for now, however the firm isn’t shopping for new stock so naked cabinets are seemingly change into extra widespread.

“I think what we’ll progressively see is the stores will become more and more spartan,” stated retail analyst Neil Saunders.

The corporate runs 1,245 shops in 15 states, in accordance with its web site. It has a heavy presence in New York, Pennsylvania and California, which alone has 347 places.

Right here’s what clients can count on subsequent.

How lengthy will shops stay open?

Ceremony Assist says just a few months for many of its shops. All places will finally shut or be bought to a brand new proprietor.

Till then, clients will nonetheless have the ability to fill prescriptions, get immunizations and store within the shops or on-line.

Ceremony Assist has stated that it’ll cease issuing buyer rewards factors for purchases. It additionally will now not honor reward playing cards or settle for returns or exchanges beginning subsequent month.

What is going to occur to my prescription information?

Ceremony Assist will attempt to promote them to a different drugstore, grocer or retailer with a pharmacy. The corporate says it’s working to place collectively a “smooth transfer” of buyer prescriptions to different pharmacies.

However there’s no assure these information will wind up at a retailer close to the placement that’s closing.

That could be difficult as a result of some Ceremony Assist shops are in rural areas, miles away from one other pharmacy, famous Saunders, managing director of the consulting and knowledge evaluation agency GlobalData.

Prescription information will be precious belongings as a result of they’ll join the buying drugstore with a daily buyer if that particular person sticks with the brand new retailer.

How did Ceremony Assist get thus far?

Philadelphia-based Ceremony Assist had been closing shops and scuffling with losses for years earlier than its first chapter submitting in 2023. The corporate says its “only viable path forward” is a return to Chapter 11 chapter proceedings.

The corporate stated in letter to distributors that it has been hit with a number of monetary challenges which have grown extra intense.

Ceremony Assist and its opponents have been coping with tighter earnings on their prescriptions, elevated theft, courtroom settlements over opioid prescriptions and clients who’re drifting to on-line buying and low cost retailers.

Walgreens, which has greater than six instances as many shops as Ceremony Assist, agreed in March to be acquired by the personal fairness agency Sycamore Companions.

CVS Well being additionally has closed shops.

The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Instructional Media Group. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.

Initially Revealed: Might 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM EDT