Warren Warns Walgreens Buyout by Private Equity May Lead to Pharmacy Closures, Lost Jobs in Massachusetts, Limit Access to Medication

Warren seeks assurances from Sycamore Partners that its heavily-leveraged, debt-fueled acquisition of Walgreens will not lead to layoffs, store closures
After private equity looted Steward Health Care hospitals, Warren concerned that Walgreens could be next: “These private equity buyouts of companies facing financial hardship…frequently lead to worse outcomes for employees and consumers.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington D.C. –U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to private equity firm Sycamore Partners (Sycamore) regarding concerns that the firm’s proposed acquisition of retail pharmacy chain Walgreens may cost hardworking Massachusetts residents their jobs and create difficulties for patients who need access to lifesaving medications.
Sycamore’s multi-billion-dollar takeover of Walgreens has been touted as an attempt to keep the struggling retail pharmacy chain alive. However, private equity buyouts have a record of running already-struggling companies into the ground and producing devastating consequences for workers and communities, as witnessed by private equity’slooting of Steward Health Care, which resulted in two shuttered hospitals in Massachusetts.
“My primary concern is that Sycamore’s acquisition of Walgreens may lead to restructuring of the company that results in layoffs and pharmacy closures in the Commonwealth,”said Senator Warren.
Walgreens has alreadyannounced plansto close nine locations across Massachusetts, in addition to the six stores closed in the state within the past year. Many of the shuttered Walgreens stores arelocated in vulnerable communities, leaving thousands of residents without reliable pharmacy access.
Sycamorehas a troubling historyof leading the companies it acquires into bankruptcy, further harming already-struggling communities.
“These private equity buyouts…frequently lead to worse outcomes for employees and consumers: private equity firms sell off assets and close locations, employees lose their jobs, and consumers lose access to essential goods and services,”wrote Senator Warren.
A review by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP)revealed that the Walgreens buyoutwill be heavily leveraged with debt, heightening the risk of bankruptcy and threatening the availability of critical services to customers and patients.
“These are deeply troubling conclusions, suggesting that yet another private equity firm might leverage a failing health care chain to turn a profit at the expense of Massachusetts’ patients, providers, and taxpayers,”wrote Senator Warren.
Millions of customers across the United States rely on Walgreens for primary care, essential medications, and household items, and if the Walgreens-Sycamore deal leads to even more store closures, customers could be left in “pharmacy deserts” without access to necessities.
“I seek assurances that Sycamore’s buyout of Walgreens will not damage the company further, and will not cost hardworking Americans their jobs or create difficulties for patients who need access to lifesaving medications,”concluded Senator Warren.
Senator Warren requested a response identifying the impact Sycamore’s acquisition of Walgreens will have on workers and communities by May 13, 2025.
Senator Warren has repeatedly called out the harms of private equity ownership on health care costs and quality of care and has fought to prevent companies from taking advantage of the bankruptcy system:
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