Crystal Walgreens Store to Close
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 10, 2025 at 11:20 a.m. with additional information from Walgreens.
The northwest metro is losing another pharmacy, as the nation’s two largest pharmacy chains, Walgreens and CVS, continue to downsize.
CCX News has learned that the Crystal Walgreens, located at the corner of West Broadway and Bass Lake Road, plans to close on Feb. 20.
In October, Walgreens announced a plan to close 1,200 stores over the next three years, starting with 500 this year.
Business experts say the closure comes down to several factors.
University of Minnesota Marketing Professor George John says pharmacies don’t generate much revenue for prescriptions. Competition from Amazon has increased, and John says the retail component — where pharmacies make most of their money — has deteriorated.
An employee of Walgreens, located at the corner of West Broadway and Bass Lake Road in Crystal, told CCX News that the store will be closing.
“The bottom line is they don’t control their own fate in pharmacy — they’re basically a service operation,” John said of Walgreens. “So, when you lose control of that front end of it, meaning your retail space is not as welcoming as it used to be, the whole edifice sort of crumbles. And that’s kind of what’s happened to Walgreens.”
Meanwhile, Walgreens spokesperson Jennifer Cotto provided this statement regarding the closure:
“Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs. It is never an easy decision to close a store. We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance. When closures are necessary, like the one in Crystal, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions. We intend to redeploy the majority of our team members from those stores that we close.”
Patients who fill their prescription at the closing Walgreens do not need to take any action. Their prescriptions will be automatically transferred to the Walgreens located at 4200 Winnetka Ave. in New Hope.
Related: Brooklyn Center CVS Pharmacy Store To Close Jan. 30
