In a statement in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News, CVS Health Corporate Communications Manager Kara Page called the closure of the store a “difficult decision.”
“Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions,” she said. “Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.”
Page said all prescriptions from the store will be transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 1300 Wilmington Avenue. She said there are six remaining CVS Pharmacy locations in Dayton and nearly 350 across Ohio.
“Employees are being offered comparable roles within the company,” she said of the store closure.
In its 2024 annual report, CVS said it would close about 270 retail stores in 2025. The company closed 900 stores between 2022 and 2024. As of Dec. 31, CVS had 9,000 retail locations.
In 2022, CVS shut down locations in Harrison Twp, Kettering, Moraine, Fairborn, Brookville and New Lebanon.
The downtown CVS store, which has entrances on Ludlow Street and in Courthouse Square, opened in early 2005. CVS moved its previous downtown storefront at 8 N. Main St. into the 13,000-square-foot space.
Some of the store’s loyal customers have included people who live and work downtown. The business is across the street from Dayton City Hall and it’s not far from Sinclair Community College and a variety of office buildings and apartment complexes.
The store occupies a ground floor space in a building that is also home to the Area Agency on Aging, the PNC Arts Annex and a U.S. Post Office. The building sits in Courthouse Square, which is being revitalized.
When it was created in the 1970s, Courthouse Square was supposed to be a central link and the visual focal point of downtown. But over the years, it fell into disrepair and was underutilized.
A new fountain was recently installed in the public space, and the Downtown Dayton Partnership has tried to reactivate the property with CURIO, a lunchtime entertainment and social events hub.
Courthouse Square also has a stage, terrace seating, benches, tables, trees and a plaza. The property is bordered on multiple sides by office buildings and the historic courthouse.
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