WOONSOCKET – CVS Caremark Corp. said Thursday it will open its first stores in Puerto Rico next week.
The company said it plans to open nine CVS/pharmacy stores on the Caribbean island by the end of this year. The expansion will create roughly 400 jobs, according to CVS.
“We are pleased to introduce the CVS/pharmacy brand to the growing Puerto Rico market,” CVS/pharmacy President Larry Merlo said in a statement. “CVS is committed to providing high quality pharmacy care and offering convenient products and services at a great value to the Puerto Rican community.”
The first two stores will open on Monday in San Juan, the territory’s capital, and Bayamon, with additional locations to open in Arecibo, Dorado, Fajardo, Vega Alta and Vega Baja.
CVS also said more than 12,000 of the products sold in the Puerto Rican stores would be bought from local companies, with some of the items manufactured on the island. The company also made a $10,000 donation to Instituto Psicopedagógico de Puerto Rico, an agency in Bayamon that serves the mentally handicapped, to coincide with the store openings.
There were 7,025 CVS/pharmacy stores open in 44 states and Washington, D.C., as of Dec. 31, including 56 in Rhode Island and 335 in Massachusetts, according to the company.
Additional information is available at cvscaremark.com.
