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CVS Health has introduced a new pharmacy-only format in Chicago, adding a smaller-footprint retail location to its national portfolio as the company adjusts its presence in the evolving pharmacy landscape. The healthcare and retail pharmacy company has opened a pharmacy-only store at 2628 W. Pershing Rd. in Chicago’s West End neighborhood, concentrating the offering on core prescription services and essential over-the-counter products.
According to CVS Health, the pharmacy-only locations are designed to give local pharmacy teams the ability to deepen their connections with patients and neighbors. Len Shankman, Executive Vice President and President, Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness at CVS Health, said the stores are intended to support on-the-ground pharmacy care in communities that need continued access to medication management and related services.
The pharmacy-only stores are described as averaging around 3,000 square feet, which is about half the size of CVS Health’s traditional locations. Within that smaller footprint, the new format offers a full-service pharmacy, along with an assortment of over-the-counter healthcare and wellness products. While the space is more compact, the company positions these locations as fully capable of meeting routine prescription and basic retail pharmacy needs.
CVS Health notes that the rollout of this format is part of a broader realignment of its retail footprint undertaken over the past several years. That strategy reflects shifts in the pharmacy industry, where operators are reassessing where and how they deploy square footage, labor, and inventory to match changing consumer behavior and healthcare delivery models. The move toward pharmacy-focused locations suggests a more targeted approach to site selection and store operations.
The new Chicago pharmacy-only store is the first in a group of planned openings in Illinois. CVS Health plans to add four more pharmacy-only locations in the state this year, signaling a multi-site commitment to the concept in that regional market. Each of these additional locations is expected to follow the same smaller-scale model, concentrating primarily on prescription services and over-the-counter offerings.
Looking ahead to 2026, CVS Health also expects to bring pharmacy-only locations to several other major urban markets. The company plans to open sites in Houston, Roxbury, Detroit, and Brooklyn under the same format. These future locations indicate that the strategy is not limited to one region but is being pursued in multiple cities across the country, with an emphasis on neighborhoods where localized pharmacy care is a priority.
For commercial real estate stakeholders in retail, the introduction and expansion of this smaller pharmacy-focused concept highlights ongoing adjustments in tenant space requirements and store prototypes. Although financial terms, lease structures, and ownership details were not disclosed, the move underscores how national credit tenants may continue to recalibrate their physical footprints, compressing formats while aiming to maintain or enhance service levels in dense or underserved communities.
The post CVS Health Opens New Pharmacy-Only Store on Chicago’s West End appeared first on CRE Market Beat.
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