Publix ends partnership with The Little Clinic

LAKELAND, Fla. — Supermarket chain Publix has confirmed the termination of the lease arrangements with The Little Clinic within select store locations in Florida and Georgia.

The move marks the end of Publix’s five-year partnership with The Little Clinic, which is part of Solera Capital’s portfolio. Solera Capital had acquired The Little Clinic’s predecessor in 2005.

In 2010, private investment fund Solera Capital sold the remainder of its Little Clinic business to Kroger. Those Kroger-owned Little Clinic locations are not closing.

In a statement sent to Drug Store News, Publix stated that it has "decided to terminate our lease agreement with Solera Clinics, the owner of The Little Clinic, to allow us the opportunity to better focus on our core grocery and pharmacy business."

A statement on the Publix’s website indicated that 31-of-the-40 in-store clinic locations in Florida and Georgia closed as of May 9. The closing dates for the remaining nine locations have not yet been announced.

In a statement sent to Drug Store News, a Solera Clinics representative stated, “We appreciate the hard work of the employees of the Publix in-store clinics to make these operations a success. These clinics were early entrants in the retail clinic industry and evolved into a cornerstone of the consumer healthcare movement by bringing innovation and choice into the healthcare landscape. We see great opportunity in consumer-focused health care, in and beyond retail clinics. We will continue to work with Publix and our other partners to bring convenient, affordable and innovative health-and-wellness solutions to consumers and employers.”