LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – The CVS Pharmacy at 1300 N. Charlotte St., a retailing fixture in the North End Shopping Center for several decades, will close its doors Aug. 14 (2024; Wednesday) at 7 p.m.
Signage on store doors, walls, and in some already depleted aisles all announced the closing date. Employees said they were notified of the impending closure about a month ago. A few indicated they were aware of the store’s lengthy history on Lower Pottsgrove’s northwest side and would “be sorry,” as one said, to see it end.
Management has not announced a specific reason for the closing. As of Wednesday (July 31) at 7 a.m. the CVS webpage for the store made no mention of its closure plans.
However, USA Today reported in January the “pharmacy chain has closed about 600 stores since 2022,” and was expected to close another 300 this year. The closures, a CVS spokesperson told the news outlet, “are part of CVS’ plan to reduce store and pharmacy density.”
There apparently are no plans to replace the closed store elsewhere. Its signage instead recommended customers rely on remaining CVS locations on East High Street, also in Lower Pottsgrove; at The Shoppes at Coventry in North Coventry, or on Swamp Pike in Gilbertsville. “Different address, same heart – that’s our commitment,” the signage promised.
Ask about prescription transfers
Customers with prescriptions being filled at North Charlotte Street, who need them transferred to another location, were encouraged to “chat with” the CVS pharmacy team.
Shoppers inside the store during mid-day Tuesday (July 30) browsed its aisles for goods. Rows of shelves were already empty, either because merchandise was being consolidated or moved. Signage also said any purchases made at the North Charlotte Street location could be returned, if necessary, to other CVS stores.
CVS has been among the consistent anchors of the 14-acre shopping center that Montgomery County property records show was built in 1960. The property was last sold in May 2016, it stated.
The pharmacy initially occupied a large center-section of the shopping center’s main structure, county records show. It was just a short walk north of what is now the Redner’s Warehouse Market, and which earlier was occupied by another supermarket chain.
Years later, CVS built and moved into its current stand-alone structure. The change allowed the business to accommodate a growing consumer interest in drive-through pick-ups.
Photos by Travels With The Post
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