Walgreens plans to close a 500K SF distribution center in Houston, eliminating 159 jobs, according to a Texas Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice.
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The layoffs are expected around June 1. Walgreens plans to consolidate its distribution services and deliveries to its distribution center in Waxahachie, south of Dallas, the Houston Business Journal reported.
The 500K SF distribution center at 1805 Greens Road in Houston near George Bush Intercontinental Airport was built to suit in 2008. The cross-dock facility sits on a 25-acre site and has 10K SF of office space and an automatic picking and conveyor system, according to developer Bryant + Stacy Group.
Walgreens confirmed the closure in a statement to the HBJ.
“By streamlining service and deliveries from a single source — the Waxahachie Distribution Center — we believe we can better serve our customers while reducing workload for our store teams,” the statement says.
The Waxahachie facility is about 212 miles north of the Houston distribution center.
The pharmacy chain in October 2024 announced plans to close 1,200 stores over the following three years. That same year, the company also closed distribution centers in Florida and Connecticut.
Walgreens isn’t alone in closing stores, as the retail pharmacy market has been struggling to find the right prescription for years. Philadelphia-based Rite Aid closed its last 89 stores in October, marking its end after 60 years.
Walgreens was taken private in August after an acquisition by New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
