YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Family Pharmacy Inc. is closing up shop, two years after it was purchased out of bankruptcy by Smith Management Services LLC.
The Family Pharmacy website now redirects users to a blank page with one phrase: "Thank you for 43 years." The same message is on the company's Facebook page. The messaging was posted after a KY3 report surfaced yesterday morning that all of Family Pharmacy's stores would be shuttering.
An employee at Family Pharmacy's 527 W. Kearney St. store this morning confirmed it was closing and that prescriptions would transfer to Walgreens.
Walgreens spokesperson Phil Caruso said the company reached an agreement with Family Pharmacy to acquire the prescription records from 20 Family Pharmacy stores in southwest Missouri. He declined to disclose the financial terms.
"When Family Pharmacy locations close, prescription records will automatically transfer to nearby Walgreens pharmacies," he said. "We are committed to providing a seamless transition for patients and look forward to welcoming them to Walgreens."
Carrie Tennis, senior director of operations for Smith Management Services, declined to comment.
Tennis and others on the Family Pharmacy corporate team were promoted last year to lead operations for all of Smith Management Services’ East Coast pharmacies. It's unclear if stores outside of the Springfield area are closing.
Family Pharmacy's location finder on its website is no longer operational. The company last year reported 23 Missouri stores and 11 on the East Coast.
Smith Management Services, a subsidiary of South Carolina-based J.M. Smith Corp., bought Family Pharmacy out of bankruptcy for $16 million in 2018. Walgreens was among bidders at the time, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.
Family Pharmacy previously was operated by founders Lynn and Janet Morris. It was founded in 1977.
Guest columnist Donnie Brawner says many entrepreneurs stray from their original business ventures, which is often a recipe for success.
it is so sad to see another local business going out of business. it is so sad that most health insurance co.s now tell their clients where to get personal medicines. we can no longer go to a favorite drug store or the one close to our home. medicine is now being practiced by a health care policy.