*CVS Health is reimagining what a pharmacy can look like, and the new vision looks a lot less like a convenience store.
The drugstore giant announced on March 30 that it plans to open 20 pharmacy-only “apothecary-style” locations across the country by the end of 2026, doubling down on personalized care even as it continues shuttering a significant number of its traditional stores, USA Today reports.
The concept is not entirely new — the first location debuted in 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama — but the format is now gaining momentum. The most recently opened location, situated in Chicago’s West End, offers a glimpse into what CVS is going for. The space centers almost entirely around the pharmacy counter and a waiting area that calls to mind a medical office setting rather than a retail shop. Customers can still pick up over-the-counter products, but the sprawling general merchandise aisles typical of a standard CVS are nowhere to be found.
The driving idea behind the format is giving pharmacists more opportunity to connect directly with the people they serve. “Our new, pharmacy-only locations allow our pharmacy teams to continue to build relationships with patients – their friends and neighbors – and provide on the ground pharmacy care in communities that need us,” said Len Shankman, executive vice president and president of Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness at CVS Health.
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Future pharmacy-only locations are planned for Houston, Detroit, Brooklyn, New York, and Roxbury, Massachusetts. Separately, CVS also intends to open more than 40 new traditional pharmacy locations and Target pharmacies nationwide in 2026.
The expansion comes against a backdrop of significant contraction. CVS has been closing locations in recent years, with over 1,000 closures in the past four years. The company has also been navigating serious legal exposure, having agreed to pay up to $4.9 billion over 10 years to settle lawsuits tied to Medicare fraud, improper pricing, and its alleged role in the opioid crisis.
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