Newark, New Jersey: Walgreens will soon own more drugstore locations in Essex County than any other pharmacy.
The drugstore's parent company, Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens Boots Alliance, announced on Tuesday that it will acquire East Pennsboro, Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid Corporation.
All of the Rite Aid locations in Greater Newark are located in the eastern half of Essex County, while Walgreens locations are spread throughout the county. There are 13 Rite Aid locations in Bloomfield, Irvington, Newark, Nutley, South Orange, and West Orange. Walgreens currently has 11 Essex County locations.
The other drugstore chain with a large Essex County presence, CVS/pharmacy, has 14 locations in the county.
In recent years, Walgreens has expanded its Greater Newark presence by acquiring Duane Reade locations in Newark and Irvington and the Drug Fair location in Fairfield. The company closed the Duane Reade drugstores and converted the Fairfield Drug Fair into a Walgreens location.
Rite Aid expanded its presence in Essex County in 2006 by acquiring Eckerd Pharmacy, which had operated several locations in the area.
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