North Carson Rite Aid will become a Longs

Employees at the Rite-Aid on North Carson Street will have to go through the hiring process again when the store becomes a Longs Drug Store in the coming months.

Longs Drug Store Corp. spokeswoman Farra Levin said the Rite Aid at 1980 N. Carson St. is part of a six-store exchange between Longs and Rite Aid Corp., which will take place in the second quarter.

"We want to increase our market penetration in Northern Nevada," she said Friday. "We have 11 stores in the area. We have a good base to start with. We've been in Carson City since 1998."

Longs has one location at 3240 Highway 50 East. The corporation signed an exchange agreement Friday, which gives it the Rite Aid store in Carson City, two in Reno, one in Fallon, one in Sparks and one in Sun Valley.

Levin said she did not know the number of employees at the affected Rite Aid.

"We will interview all associates and hope to retain them."

The 15,000-square-foot Rite Aid will be stocked and renovated to match the Longs' properties.

Customers will still be able to fill prescriptions at this location and also transfer them to other Longs' locations, she said.

Longs (NYSE: LDG), is based in Walnut Creek, Calif. Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD), based in Camp Hill, Penn., expects to receive three stores in Washington, two stores in Oregon and one store in California and the prescription files of six other Longs Drugs stores in Washington.

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.