Market Navigator: US Drugstore and Pharmacy Retailing—Solutions for Drugstores To Win Again

Published – September 2026

Discover how the US drugstore and pharmacy sector is evolving as retailers shrink store footprints, expand healthcare services, respond to reimbursement pressure and compete with digital and mass-market rivals:

• What will drive growth in the US drugstore and pharmacy market through 2030, and how will prescription demand, specialty medicines and healthcare services shape the outlook?
• How are store rationalization, smaller pharmacy-centric formats and rising sales productivity reshaping the economics of leading drugstore chains?
• How will the Inflation Reduction Act, PBM reimbursement pressure and pharmaceutical tariffs affect pharmacy revenue, cash flow and profitability?
• How can drugstores capitalize on GLP-1 adoption, an aging population and expanding pharmacist-led services to deepen customer relationships and grow health and wellness sales?
• How are e-commerce, mass merchants, grocery retailers, Amazon Pharmacy and direct-to-patient platforms intensifying competition and changing how consumers access pharmacy care?

Introduction

What We Think: Solutions for Drugstores To Win Again

US Drugstore Sector

• Market Scale and Opportunity
• Segment Breakdown by Category
• Online Market
• Market Factors
• GLP-1 Drugs

In-Store Shopper Visits

The Companies

• Nonspecialist and Digital Competitors
• Store Metrics
• The Consumer

Appendix: Ranking Retailers by Store Numbers

Notes and Methodology

Ahold Delhaize; Albertsons; Amazon; CVS Health; Dollar General; Eli Lilly; Kroger; McKesson; Novo Nordisk; Pfizer; Publix; Rite Aid; Sycamore Partners; Walgreen Co.; Walmart.

US Drugstore Sector Dynamics

US Drugstores and Pharmacies’ Total Sales (Left Axis; USD Bil.) and YoY Change (Right Axis; %)

US Major Drugstore Retailers: Proportion of Retail Sales Accounted for by Pharmacy Sales (%)

US Drugstore and Pharmacy Retailers’ Online Sales (Left Axis; USD Bil.) and YoY Change (Right Axis; %)

Health Category: E-Commerce, In-Store and Total Sales Growth (YoY % Change for the Four Weeks Ended Each Date)

Health Category: In-Store and Online Channel Share

Pharmacy Services That GLP-1 Users Say Would Be Most Helpful (% of Respondents)

US Consumers: Agreement with the Statement (% of Consumers within Each Age Group)

YoY Inflation (% Change in CPI) in Prescription (Rx) and Nonprescription Drugs in the US

Tariff Timelines and Penalties for Branded and Generic Drugs

US Drugstores and Pharmacies: Shopper Visits (YoY % Change)

Leading US Drugstore Chains and Pharmacies: US Revenues (USD Bil.)

US Drugstores: Operating Margins (%)

Major Drugstore Chains and Pharmacies: US Store Numbers

Major Drugstore Chains and Pharmacies: US Sales Per Store (USD Mil.)

Major Drugstore Chains and Pharmacies: US Sales Per Square Foot (USD)

US Major Drugstore Retailers’ Store Traffic: YoY % Change

Respondents Who Purchased from a Drugstore or Pharmacy in the Three Months to June 8, 2026: Retailers Purchased From (% of Respondents)

Respondents Who Purchased from a Drugstore or Pharmacy in the Three Months to June 8, 2026: Categories Purchased (% of Respondents)

Respondents Who Purchased from a Drugstore or Pharmacy in the Last Three Months: Reasons for Choosing to Shop at the Drugstore/Pharmacy They Use Most Often (% of Respondents)

Respondents Who Purchased from a Drugstore or Pharmacy in the Last Three Months: Services They Use at Drugstore/Pharmacy (% of Respondents)

Top 40 Pharmacy Retailers in the US, by Number of Stores