An area pharmacy chain will be selling its stores to a bigger corporation this year.
According to a news release, Red Cross Pharmacy, Inc., a Top-50 drugstore chain and one of the oldest pharmacy businesses in the country– dating back to 1854 in Miami, Mo., has announced that it plans to sell its 14 retail pharmacies to CVS Pharmacy, the retail pharmacy business of CVS Health, effective beginning June 6, 2018.
Red Cross Pharmacy President and CEO Scott Hartwig says CVS can offer more to customers.

Red Cross Pharmacy has two retail locations in Marshall, and one in Salisbury, Kearney, Excelsior Springs, Odessa, Warrensburg, Grain Valley, Macon, Fulton, Lexington, Plattsburg, Richmond and Carrollton.
CVS Pharmacy plans to operate in the same locations with the same staff in all markets, except for Grain Valley and Kearney, where the files will be transferred to the closest CVS Pharmacy store.
Hartwig, whose family has owned controlling interest in Red Cross Pharmacy since 1971, said retaining employees is a big deal in the process.

All of the changeover is expected to be completed by mid-July, and the pharmacies will be converted and re-branded as CVS Pharmacy. The two companies are working closely together to ensure the transition will be seamless for customers and their access to pharmacy care is not interrupted.