MILWAUKEE – After Walgreens previously announced that their Milwaukee location at Layton Boulevard and National Avenue would be closing on November 3rd, those visiting the drugstore Friday were surprised to discover the doors had been closed early.
Walgreens said in a statement the decision to close the location early was “due to several incidents of criminal activity at this store”. Online, the location is listed as “temporarily closed”, and Walgreens says customers can still access the drive-thru window.
“I had previously been informed that this location was to be closed in mid-November, but that after several thefts in recent weeks, the decision was made to close early,” said 8th District Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa in a statement Friday. “I am extremely disappointed by this development, as advance notice or communication could not be shared with the nearby residents who depend on the pharmacy at this location”
Zamarripa says she will be working with nearby residents to ensure they can find other pharmacies.
The closure comes within the same week Walgreens announced it plans to close roughly 1,200 stores over the next three years, including 500 closures in fiscal 2025 alone. With the closure of the Layton & National store, Walgreens has now shuttered four locations in Milwaukee over the past two years.
The location is notable as the site of an incident in 2018 involving then-Bucks guard Sterling Brown, who had parked across multiple handicapped spaces in the parking lot and was ultimately tased and thrown to the ground.
Walgreens was never accused of any wrongdoing in the incident.
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