Rite Aid has told its employees it intends to file bankruptcy less than a year after completing an earlier restructuring that failed to turn around the troubled pharmacy chain.
The company was unable to secure additional capital from lenders in order to continue operating the business and now intends to file Chapter 11, Chief Executive Officer Matthew Schroeder said in a letter to employees that was reviewed by Bloomberg News. The drug store chain is also planning to cut jobs at its corporate offices in Pennsylvania.
Rite Aid didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment. A copy of the letter was shared earlier on social media.
Schroeder blamed the job cuts on “the dramatic downturn in the economy,” tariffs and increased costs from suppliers and landlords. Rite Aid lenders would no longer cover payroll or other employment-related expenses “if we retain the entirety of our workforce,” he said in the letter.
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