AUBURN — Walgreens will permanently close one of its Auburn locations Monday. A company spokeswoman said there were a number of factors behind the decision to close the store at 61 Union St., including the “existing footprint of stores, dynamics of the local market, and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers, among other reasons.”

Walgreens said it is working to “retain impacted team members at nearby locations.” The company did not say why the closure is happening on short notice.

Pharmacy patients at the Union Street store should have received, or will soon receive, a letter in the mail advising them of the closure and to let them know any prescriptions will automatically be transferred to the store at 698 Minot Ave.

Walgreens also has stores on Main Street and Sabattus Street in Lewiston.

All three major pharmacy chains in the country are closing stores in an effort to save money, according to a report in Forbes. Rite Aid, which is preparing for bankruptcy, has proposed closing between 400 and 500 stores. CVS has shut 300 stores and plans to shut 600 more by next year. Walgreens, the largest pharmacy chain in the nation, announced it would close 150 stores and reduce operating hours at an additional 1,100 stores.

The report said customers feeling the pinch of inflation are bypassing the chain drug stores for grocers and discount stores such as Walmart.

This story was originally published in “Fish Bones Grill resumes lunch service.” The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com

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