PUNXSUTAWNEY — As you may have noticed in the last few days, there’s a new sign on top of the former Rite-Aid building noting that Giant Eagle Pharmacy is coming to Punxsutawney.
Jannah Drexler, public relations manager for Giant Eagle, Inc., said with everything that has been going on with Rite-Aid in this past year, they have been keeping a close eye on the situation.
“We have been figuring out what locations would make sense for us to step in and fill gaps in coverage the Rite-Aid closures have created,” Drexler said. “In a lot of cases, that meant we were purchasing files transferring in areas where we had Giant Eagle locations that had our pharmacy in our store, but there some areas where there’s a gap in coverage and a nearby Giant Eagle Pharmacy, and with Rite-Aid closing it really leaves a hole in the community in the convenient health care space, so we’ve been looking around at those areas where those Rite-Aids have closed where we feel like we can be successful at stepping in and taking over those physical locations and transforming them into Giant Eagle Pharmacies.”
She said one of those is the Punxsutawney Rite-Aid, which will become a standalone Giant Eagle Pharmacy.
“We will have the full-service pharmacy there, where they’ll be able to purchase their prescriptions to be filled there and have their immunization vaccines done there,” Drexler said.
Drexler said they then will fill the rest of the store, which has a fair amount of square footage, in a lot of different ways.
“Although it will be smaller than what you may find in a Giant Eagle supermarket or another supermarket, there will be distinct departments in distinct areas,” she said. “We’re bringing in things like fresh produce in a meaningful way, pantry staples, snacks, all of those options, so there are a lot of convenience options, but it’s more robust and built out than in a market where you will have more selection.”