Why is Walgreens at Harry and Broadway closing, and what will happen to prescriptions?

The Walgreens at Harry and Broadway is closing as of March 24, a representative for the Illinois company said in an e-mailed statement.

“It is never an easy decision to close a store,” the statement said.

“We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance,” the company said. “When closures are necessary, like the one in Wichita, 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.”

Customers who have prescriptions at the store should be notified through mail that their accounts will be transferred to the Walgreens at 31st South and Seneca. The change is automatic, and customers don’t need to do anything to make it happen.

The stores are about 3 miles apart.

Walgreens encourages customers to talk to their pharmacists about setting up a free delivery service for their prescriptions for 90 days during the transition.

Previously, the chain announced that as a business strategy, it would close 1,200 stores over a three-year period. This Walgreens closure is one of the 1,200.

“Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy,” the statement said.

“However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.”

The Walgreens representative didn’t say if other Wichita stores could be affected.