Foodland to transfer all pharmacy prescriptions to Longs

Foodland Super Market Ltd. on Wednesday announced it has entered into an agreement to confidentially transfer all prescriptions from its pharmacies to Longs Drugs.

All seven Foodland pharmacy locations, including two on the Big Island, will close permanently by mid-April, the company said in a statement.

The pharmacies in Foodland (Waimea) and Sack N Save (Puainako in Hilo) will close April 11.

Prescriptions will be transferred electronically to Longs Drugs, so that customers will be able to seamlessly continue to fill their prescriptions without worry or disruption at the Longs Drugs location of their choice, according to Foodland.

“The decision to exit the pharmacy business was not an easy one for us. While compressed margins and rising costs have led to increasing losses, we were concerned about the impact any closure would have on our many loyal pharmacy customers and employees,” Jenai S. Wall, Foodland chairman and CEO, said in the statement. “We are grateful that our agreement with Longs Drugs will help ensure our customers’ access to care will be uninterrupted, while also enabling us to better focus our attention on delivering great grocery shopping experiences and meeting the ever-changing food needs of our customers.”

Customers can continue to call their usual Foodland pharmacy for 90 days after closing, and the phone will ring at Longs.