Tops to close 27 New York pharmacies

Tops Friendly Markets in Williamsville, N.Y., is closing pharmacy departments in 27 of its 162 stores later this month. Instead of pharmacies, Tops will add more fresh food, deli, and health and beauty care products. The stores themselves will remain open.

“Space inside some of our supermarkets is at a premium and some of our locations are not filling enough prescriptions to make the most efficient use of our resources. A business decision was made to close select pharmacy departments,” said Frank Curci, chairman, president and CEO of Tops, in the statement.

The supermarket chain will transfer pharmacy prescriptions and inventory to five CVS/Pharmacy and 22 Rite Aid locations near each affected store. The transaction accounts for less than 20% of the company’s prescription volume, according to the statement.

Tops’ executives did not say how many pharmacists and pharmacy technicians would be displaced by the pharmacy closings, and a Tops spokesperson did not return phone calls and emails from Drug Topics.

However, Tops is working closely with both Rite Aid and CVS to “ensure the transition will be as seamless as possible for customers.”

Meanwhile, the transition allows Tops to “better focus on what Tops does best: providing our customers with the widest selection of what they want most, at the price that gives them the most value,” Curci said. “Across our stores, customers tell us they love and want more options that busy, healthy families need today – like fresh produce, prepared foods, natural and organics, and other health and wellness options.”

The pharmacy closings include stores in Rochester, North Syracuse, Brighton, Fairport and Henrietta, Fayetteville, Skaneateles, Elmira, East Aurora, Springville, and Williamsville, all in New York.