CVS opening new 'apothecary-style' pharmacy locations nationwide

CVS has opened the first of its new "apothecary-style" pharmacy-only locations of 2026, with more to come.

The drugstore chain announced the new store format on March 30, saying it plans to open 20 similar locations across the country in 2026. These pharmacy-only locations, the first of which opened last year in Birmingham, Alabama, will consist of full-service pharmacies that both fill prescriptions and offer an assortment of over-the-counter products - minus the rest of the corner store supply typically seen at CVS locations.

Images of the newly unveiled location in Chicago's West End show a pared-down version of the CVS Pharmacy counter you're likely used to seeing at the back of your local CVS store. Instead of taking up just a portion of the roughly 3,000-square-foot space, the counter and accompanying waiting area are the main focus, looking not unlike the waiting area at a medical office.

The purpose of these "apothecary-style" stores is to enable pharmacists to have more face-to-face interactions and consultations with customers, the company said in a press release.

"Our new, pharmacy-only locations allow our pharmacy teams to continue to build relationships with patients – their friends and neighbors – and provide on the ground pharmacy care in communities that need us," Len Shankman, executive vice president and president, Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness, CVS Health, said in a statement.

Where will new CVS locations open?

CVS expects to open a total of 20 pharmacy-only locations by the end of the year. While it did not share an exact list of addresses, a press release said the format will expand to Houston, Detroit, Brooklyn, New York, and Roxbury, Massachusetts.

The company also plans to open more than 40 new CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide in 2026, including traditional stores and Target pharmacies. Details of exact locations were not available as of April 2.

CVS closes thousands of locations, opens hundreds

Like other drug store chains, including now-defunct Rite Aid, CVS has struggled to maintain its footprint in recent years amid competition, leading to significant downsizing efforts.

The company announced plans to close 270 locations in 2025, which, added to the roughly 800 net closures over the previous three years as reported by the Wall Street Journal, totals more than 1,000 closures.

Part of the chain's strategy has been to open more pharmacy counters within Target stores and its small, in-store MinuteClinics for minor illnesses and injuries and simple care like vaccines.

The pharmacy has also contended with a series of high-profile lawsuits alleging Medicare fraud, improper pricing and contributing to the opioid epidemic, for which it agreed to pay up to $4.9 billion over 10 years.