Photo by Jenny Kirk Shopko announced Friday it’s closing its pharmacy department this week and Hy-Vee is acquiring patient files. A sign posted to the front door alerts arriving customers to the change.

MARSHALL — Marshall Shopko is closing its pharmacy and patient files are being transferred to the Marshall Hy-Vee Pharmacy on Main Street.

Marshall is among 22 Shopko stores in Minnesota and five neighboring states to recently announce the closing of their pharmacies. Hy-Vee announced Friday that it’s acquiring the Shopko pharmacies in 17 cities, including Marshall. As early as Thursday, Marshall Hy-Vee can begin filling prescriptions for former Shopko Pharmacy patrons.

While the Marshall department store chain is losing its pharmacy, it is not among Shopko’s recent list of 39 stores in 19 states that will close their doors completely. Of the nearly 40 Minnesota Shopko stores, only two — Paynesville and Mahnomen — are marked to close by the end of February.

Marshall Shopko Pharmacy currently employs about 10 people, including two full-time pharmacists in addition to pharmacy techs, floaters and interns. Hy-Vee, Guidepoint Pharmacy, Walmart and Thrifty White Pharmacy are now the four primary pharmacies located in Marshall.

In a news release, Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board, CEO and president, said that as Hy-Vee continues to grow its pharmacy business, they’ll continue to pride themselves on providing an excellent experience to their customers.

“We provide customized care for each person who walks through our door,” Edeker said. “Our pharmacists will go above and beyond to provide numerous services to our patients so we can help them understand and assist with caring for their specific health care needs.”

Former Shopko Pharmacy patrons from the area are asked to contact Marshall Hy-Vee (900 East Main Street, Marshall, MN, or 507-532-2556) for their prescriptions or questions beyond Wednesday. If newly-transferred customers want to choose a different pharmacy other than Hy-Vee, they would need to have that pharmacy contact Hy-Vee to have the patient prescriptions and records transferred.

All impacted Shopko Pharmacy patients will receive additional information via a letter from their nearby Hy-Vee Pharmacy.

The Minnesota Hy-Vees that will get Shopko’s book of business and the dates the Hy-Vee pharmacy is allowed to start refilling prescriptions begins with Mankato Hilltop (Dec. 19), followed by Marshall (Dec. 20), Fairmont (Dec. 20), Rochester Crossroads (Dec. 20), Winona (Jan. 4), Albert Lea (Jan. 4), Rochester 37th Street (Jan. 8) and Austin (Jan. 9).

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 245 retail stores across eight Midwestern states, with annual sales of $10 billion.