Fresno Walgreens on North First Street to Close Permanently April 28

The Walgreens at the southwest corner of First and Bullard avenues in Fresno will permanently close April 28, adding to a string of pharmacy shutdowns hitting the central San Joaquin Valley this spring.

The store, identified on Walgreens' corporate site as Store #9702 at 5785 N. First St., is one of at least three Walgreens locations confirmed to be closing in the Fresno area. Prescriptions filled at the North First Street location will be automatically transferred to the nearest Walgreens, according to local reporting from YourCentralValley.

The closures are part of what the company describes as a turnaround plan to shutter 1,200 stores by the end of 2027. About 500 locations are closing in the first round, covering the 12-month period that began in October 2025. Walgreens has been hit hard by shrinking reimbursements for prescription drugs, rising costs, theft, and customers shifting to online retailers and lower-priced competitors, according to the Associated Press.

The Fresno Bee has confirmed additional Valley closures tied to the same wave. In Dinuba, the Walgreens at El Monte Way and Alta Avenue closed March 19. In Reedley, the location at Manning Avenue and 11th Street followed on March 25. The Fresno Bee reported those two closures leave both communities without any Walgreens at all. The Bee also confirmed a separate Fresno Walgreens, at the corner of West and Herndon avenues, is slated to close by April 28.

A Walgreens at 7015 N. West Ave. in Fresno was already listed as permanently closed as of January 22, 2026, according to aggregated closure data.

Customers who fill prescriptions at the North First Street store and prefer to stay within the Walgreens network can also transfer to locations in Visalia, Selma, or Kingsburg. Those who want to switch entirely have several local options: independent pharmacies, Walmart, and Rite-Aid.

The broader retail pharmacy landscape in Fresno has been thinning for years. CVS closed its downtown location on Fulton Street as part of a 900-store reduction plan that is nearly complete. Rite-Aid has shuttered 800 stores nationally since its 2023 bankruptcy, including the Fresno location at Cedar and Shields avenues. Independent pharmacies have not been spared either: Yosemite Drug in Coarsegold recently closed, citing low reimbursement rates from pharmacy benefit managers as the cause.

Until April 28, the North First Street store remains open, with the retail and photo sections running until 10 p.m. and the pharmacy open until 7 p.m., closing for a meal break between 1:30 and 2 p.m.