Those 1,200 nationwide Walgreens closures are starting to kick in, and 12 Walgreens stores in SF will close in late February, including the one where Banko Brown was shot. The company blames high rent, but legal settlements probably have a hand in this too.We all remember how the closure of nine SF Walgreens stores between 2021-24 brought a national media pile-on against San Francisco. But when Walgreens announced they were closing 1,200 stores nationwide this past October, you could not blame San Francisco for that. And those closures are now beginning, as the Chronicle reports that 12 SF Walgreens stores will be closing permanently, with their final days being somewhere between February 24-27, 2025, depending on the store.   Here is a quick and dirty map showing which San Francisco Walgreens stores will be closing in late February. (Their specific street addresses can be found at the bottom of this post.) Union Square, Nob Hill, and the Sunset seem to be taking the brunt of the closures here. And yes, the closures include the Fourth and Market street Walgreens where Banko Brown was shot and killed in April 2023, as well as the "fancy" two-level Walgreens on Powell Street nearby.Walgreens said in a statement to the Chronicle that “Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy,” which is corporate-speak that does not really explain much. KGO has additional remarks from Walgreens blaming "increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures" that have hurt their "ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs."Unpacking this, we can all relate to high rent. But it’s surprising to see Walgreens cite staffing costs, as Walgreens staff do not strike me as being particularly well-paid — though we don’t know how much the pharmacists or any associated tech assistants make. And tellingly, Walgreens' announcement does not contain any of the usual “relocating staff to other stores” language that typically accompanies large chain-store closure announcements.But that "increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures" part of their statement kind of stands out. We know that Walgreens (and CVS) paid a combined national $10 billion settlement for overprescribing opioids in November 2022, plus Walgreens paid another $230 settlement to the city of San Francisco for the same reason the following year. Just two months ago, Walgreens agreed to another $107 million settlement to the US Department of Justice for overbilling the US government.  So one cannot discount the notion that Walgreens played too fast and loose for short-term profits, and now that they have to pay the piper for it, it's making their operating costs more difficult to bear.  The locations of the 12 Walgreens that will be closing between February 24-27, 2025 are listed below:1201 Taraval Street3201 Divisadero Street1363 Divisadero Street825 Market Street1750 Noriega Street5280 Geary Boulevard 1524 Polk Street 1301 Franklin Street 1189 Potrero Avenue 135 Powell Street1630 Ocean Avenue5300 3rd Street Related: Walgreens Closing 1,200 More Stores Nationwide, So This Is Not Just a San Francisco Thing [SFist]Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 05: Pedestrians walk by a Walgreens store on April 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. reported a 54 percent drop in second quarter earnings with profits of $930 million compared to $2.04 billion one year ago. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)