In a failing retail landscape, another CVS is closing in NJ

The CVS Pharmacy in Clementon, New Jersey, has announced they are closing, with a final date set for Oct. 23rd.

CVS first opened across the street from its current location as one of the original tenants in the Clementon Lake Village Shopping Center, which opened around 1990.

CVS Clementon customers are being directed to the Stratford location, which is about 2 1/2 miles away on the White Horse Pike. That being said, it appears the Walgreens pharmacy on Chews Landing Road is closer and doesn't require navigating the White Horse Pike.

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The free-standing CVS building is located on Berlin Road, directly across from the Clementon Amusement Park. A closed bank building, which was most recently a Santander bank, is also across the street. The bank closed last year.

Several days later, Clementon Councilwoman Gwen Cantwell shared commentary from CVS, which was in response to an inquiry from the Clementon mayor on the store closing.

Mostly expected, the CVS response takes a "corporate tone" regarding the closing, simply calling out basic factors such as local market dynamics, population shifts, community store density and other factors... without any real specifics.

There is a reduction in stores in the American retail pharmacy space,
most noticeably with Rite Aid. That being said, Walgreens and CVS are always looking to reduce underperforming stores. Earlier this year, CVS closed a pharmacy location in Washington Township.

CVS is one of several drugstore chains that have been closing stores in recent years. Walgreens closed 200 stores in 2019 and announced an additional 150 closures in 2020. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy and plans to close up to 500 stores.

CVS has closed around 600 stores since 2022 and is on track to close another 300 in 2024. CVS says that store closing decisions are based on factors like population shifts, consumer buying patterns, and community store density.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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