Retailer closing hundreds of stores after Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October and data breach

Photo byCanva

News in the retail world—Rite Aid is closing a massive 400 stores following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last October. Initially, when the pharmacy chain announced its bankruptcy, it planned to close 143 locations. But that number has ballooned, and now more than 520 stores are set to shut their doors. That’s a huge chunk, making up about a quarter of Rite Aid’s total stores!

But that’s not the only issue Rite Aid is grappling with. On July 15, the company revealed a troubling data breach. Apparently, on June 6, 2024, a scammer impersonated an employee to access business systems and potentially steal personal information. Rite Aid caught onto the breach within 12 hours and took immediate action to stop the unauthorized access and fix affected systems.

The breach involved customer data such as names, addresses, dates of birth, and driver’s license numbers or other government IDs used in purchases between June 6, 2017, and July 30, 2018. Thankfully, no Social Security numbers, financial details, or patient information were compromised.

If you think you might be affected, Rite Aid has set up a dedicated phone line for customer support. You can reach them toll-free at (866) 810-8094 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, until October 15, 2024.

It’s definitely been a rough patch for Rite Aid, but they’re working hard to address these issues. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to give them a call.