Walgreens buys Snyder's Drug chain; Menahga pharmacy to close; Park Rapids pharmacy will remain open

Twenty-five Snyder's Drug Stores pharmacies in Minnesota have been sold to Walgreens.

Employees in Park Rapids and Menahga were told of the sale Tuesday night. The last prescriptions filled under the Snyder's Drug name will be Jan. 21, said Michael Morin, a Detroit based public relations manager handling the publicity for the sale. The Park Rapids store will remain open.

Morin said customers should notice no difference after Walgreens assumes ownership. Some of the 25 stores will be closed, but he said Walgreen's would not make that announcement until next week. Another 25 independently owned Snyder's stores would not be affected, Morin said

Employees of the Menahga Snyder's have told the Enterprise that store will close. That was confirmed by a Snyder's official, who said operations will be merged into the Park Rapids store.

Walgreens will be interviewing all current Snyder's Drug employees to try to place them within the newly named stores, Morin said.

The company's Web site announced the sale Jan. 13.

Morin said customers will receive letters in the mail by next week informing them of the sale.

"Customers can fill a prescription in any Walgreens," he said.

According to the company Web site, Walgreens is the nation's largest drug-store chain with fiscal 2009 sales of $63 billion. The company operates 7,149 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.