At approximately 3,000 square feet, Rite Aid’s newest store is much smaller than its average 11,000- to 15,000-square-foot location, but it’s likely to have a big impact on the community of Craigsville, Va., a town of less than 1,000 people. The retailer plans to open two more small-format stores in Virginia — one in Greenville in December and another in Scottsville early in 2023.
The Craigsville store — located next to the library, post office and town hall — will be staffed with a full-time pharmacist and pharmacy technician and also will offer an assortment of health and wellness products.
One in 10 Americans live more than five miles from their nearest pharmacy, according to a study by the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and pharmacists play a critical role in medication adherence, which has a dramatic impact on health outcomes. Underutilization of medications drives more than $500 billion in avoidable medical costs each year.
“With these new smaller format pharmacy locations, we are bringing critical pharmacy services to underserved communities,” said Andre Persaud, Chief Retail Officer at Rite Aid in a statement. “We look forward to becoming a vital member of this community and learning from this new store model as we explore expansion to additional markets across the U.S.”
At the new store’s dedication ceremony, Craigsville Mayor Richard Fox noted that “the opening of this Rite Aid store is valuable for the community, especially for our senior citizens, as they’ll no longer have to travel over 20 minutes to get their medications.”
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