Rite Aid has filed for bankruptcy protection. The pharmacy retailer has struggled with profitability, and opioid lawsuits only exacerbated its problems. Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) is a larger, more diverse business, but it hasn't been doing all that well, either. Is the company on the same troubled path as its smaller rival?

Walgreens Boots Alliance is the larger of the two businesses, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it can't face the same struggles as its smaller rival. A larger business means more locations to manage, and more costs to potentially trim and keep down.

The pharmacy retailers aren't all that dissimilar in their core operations. Both operate with light margins, and both have been struggling to turn a profit.

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Source Fool.com