RITE AID

WASHINGTON — According to reports, regulators are still seeking information on the proposed merger between Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid, and the subsequent divestiture of as many as 1,200 stores to Fred's.

Analysts are suggesting the implication does not bode well for the merger, as the continued Civil Information Demands from the Federal Trade Commission may be indicative that the agency is still not appeased over the merger's potential effect on the retail pharmacy market.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The clock for the Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid merger was definitively set Monday evening as the two companies announced that they have certified substantial compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's Request for Additional Information.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid accomplished much in the past fiscal year to establish the chain of 4,536 stores as a destination for health and wellness, the company reported Wednesday in a 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — In a 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, Rite Aid expressed its belief that the proposed per share merger acquisition would likely fall to $6.50 per share, suggesting the divestiture of an additional 335 stores to secure approval from the Federal Trade Commission.

WASHINGTON — Walgreens is expected to certify compliance within days, giving the Federal Trade Commission 90 days to either clear the $9.7 billion deal, or sue to block it, sources told the New York Post.

The newspaper added the certified compliance period would expire roughly the same day as the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger agreement terminates on July 31. The proposed transaction was first announced in Oct. 2015.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Although Rite Aid affirmed it believes its acquisition by Walgreens Boots Alliance is in the “best interest of Rite Aid shareholders, customers and associates,” Chairman and CEO John Standley acknowledged “the extended duration of the merger process is having a negative impact on our results.

While Rite Aid and Walgreens Boots Alliance continue to work toward a merger of their two operations in the coming year, 2016 marked several milestones for Rite Aid. In the past year, the company has converted almost half of its store base to the highly successful Wellness store format.