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A Lenox Hill CVS will soon become the latest Upper East Side pharmacy to shutter, continuing a recent trend of drug store closures in the area. Though in this case, theft has not been cited as one of the reasons behind the closing.
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The store – located at 1223 Second Avenue at 64th Street – will close October 18, according to CVS representative Amy Thibault.
Thibault cited “local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community,” as reasons for the closing. Employees at the store will be offered other positions at the company, according to Thibault.
There are currently six other CVS locations on the Upper East Side. All prescriptions from this one will be transferred to the CVS at 1396 Second Avenue (at 72nd Street).
This CVS location joins Rite Aid, Kings Pharmacy and Duane Reade on the roster of recent Upper East Side pharmacy closings.
While theft was not cited as an indicator behind this forthcoming shuttering, burglary has been a factor behind the closing of other area pharmacies. Last year, comedian and actor Michael Rapaport filmed an alleged theft at the recently closed Rite Aid on East 92nd Street. In late 2022, Rite Aid blamed thefts in NYC as the cause of a $5M revenue hit in one quarter alone.
National pharmacies and drug stores are facing other challenges as well. CVS announced in 2024 that it would close 900 stores before the end of 2024 in response to growing online shopping habits, in addition to “changes to the population, customer habits and health needs.”
As each pharmacy closes, the demand snowballs onto the remaining pharmacies. It’s not as if there is a diminishing load of prescriptions on the UES.