Image via Kidder Mathews

With the second bankruptcy filing in two years from Rite Aid on Monday, the Pennsylvania-based retail pharmacy chain is looking to offload nearly 1,200 of its retail leases — including nearly two dozen in the Central Valley.

All of Rite Aid’s 1,245 stores in 15 states are expected to close or be sold to a new owner.

Rite Aid is working with New York-based A&G Real Estate Partners to sell 1,194 of its retail leases and 50 owned properties across the U.S.

For the Central Valley, that means 20 leases and a single store space are for sale. With each store about 17,000 square feet, that means roughly 357,000 square feet of retail space coming available in the Central Valley.

The Rite Aid at 5240 W. Walnut Ave. in Visalia is one of a handful of store locations in California that are owned by Rite Aid. The other Visalia Rite Aid at 1735 E. Walnut Ave. has a lease for sale.

The Rite Aid locations in Coalinga, Dinuba, Farmersville, Hanford, Kerman, Lindsay, Madera, Lemoore, Reedley, Selma and Tulare also have leases for sale.

Fresno has eight locations with leases for sale — 1101 Fresno. St., 1210 N. Blackstone Ave., 2011 W. Shaw Ave., 2020 E. Copper Ave., 3795 W. Shields Ave., 4593 N. Cedar Ave., 5574 E. Cesar Chavez Blvd. and 8027 N. Cedar Ave.

Rite Aid says stores will stay open for a few more months. It will stop issuing customer rewards points for purchases and it also will no longer honor gift cards or accept returns or exchanges starting next month.

Rite Aid will try to sell its prescriptions to another drugstore, grocer or retailer with a pharmacy. The company says it is working to put together a “smooth transfer” of customer prescriptions to other pharmacies.

But there’s no guarantee those files will wind up at a retailer near the location that is closing.

Rite Aid had been closing stores and struggling with losses for years before its first bankruptcy filing in 2023. The company says its “only viable path forward” is a return to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

The company said in letter to vendors that it has been hit with several financial challenges that have grown more intense.

Rite Aid and its competitors have been dealing with tighter profits on their prescriptions, increased theft, court settlements over opioid prescriptions and customers who are drifting to online shopping and discount retailers.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.