CARIBOU, Maine — County locals may have noticed a new coat of paint on the Caribou Rite Aid and, on Nov. 6, workers used a bucket truck to remove the “Rite Aid” lettering from the front of the building.
The Caribou store is one of seven Aroostook County Rite Aids undergoing the transition to Walgreens. Earlier this year, Walgreens acquired the Caribou Rite Aid as well as stores in Fort Kent, Fort Fairfield, Houlton, Presque Isle, Van Buren and Madawaska.
The first phase of the project is to transfer the ownership of these seven stores, while the next phase, which is currently taking place in Caribou, is to transition the existing facilities to the Walgreens brand, according to Walgreens.
While ownership is changing, current employees will have the opportunity to keep their jobs as the Walgreens transition continues.
Emily Hartwig-Mekstan, senior manager of retail and owned brand communications for Walgreens, said the “company plans to convert this location into the Walgreens brand,” and that it is one of “1,932 locations Walgreens recently purchased from Rite Aid.”
The communications official said the Caribou store should be converted “this winter,” at which point more details about the new facility will be provided.
She also outlined some of the benefits of conversion, which include a broader selection of “national brand products such as Hallmark greeting cards,” FedEx shipping and pickup services, 24/7 access to Walgreens pharmacy staff, and “Balance Rewards, Walgreens loyalty program that provides customers with promotional pricing, personalized discounts, paperless coupons and points for making healthy choices.”
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- As of Nov. 8, the giant red Rite-Aid letters have been removed from the front of Caribou’s store as the company transitions to the Walgreens brand. (Chris Bouchard)
