Community Pharmacy Turnover and Context of Openings and Closings by Ownership Type

Does community pharmacy turnover—both openings and closures—vary by pharmacy ownership type and what are the observable market patterns over time?This cross-sectional study including more than 60 000 community pharmacies found that during a 14-year time period, the total turnover rate was 86.8%, or approximately 6.2% annually, with independent pharmacies opening and closing more frequently than chain pharmacies. High turnover was associated with more independent pharmacy openings, and chain pharmacies experienced consistent net losses after 2015, whereas net changes for independent and franchise pharmacies remained flat.These findings indicate that independent pharmacies represent a larger proportion of both openings and closings with a relatively flat net change, a turnover trend that may reflect typical retail industry dynamics; however, more research is needed to understand the downstream implications for patients and communities.

Corresponding Author: T. Joseph Mattingly II, PharmD, MBA, PhD, Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, 30 S 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 8411 (joey.mattingly@utah.edu).

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