Boots is in the middle of closing 300 sites and has now revealed that 290 of these branches have shut their doors for good – with the remaining ten stores expected to shut by the end of October
Boots has issued a new update about its store closures – with the remaining sites scheduled to be shut within weeks.
The health and beauty chain is in the middle of closing 300 sites – and has now revealed that 290 of these branches have shut their doors for good. The remaining ten stores earmarked for closure are expected to shut by the end of October, reports The Sun. Boots has never published a full list of which shops will be closing under the plans, but the majority of the affected sites shut after their store lease expired.
The closures will see Boots reduce its number of shops from around 2,200 to just 1,900. In most cases, Boots has said shoppers will have an alternative store less than three miles away. At the time of the closure announcement back in June last year, Boots’ owner Walgreens Boots Alliance said: “Evolving the store estate in this way allows Boots to concentrate its team members where they are needed and focus investment more acutely in individual stores with the ambition of consistently delivering an excellent and reliable service in a fresh and up to date environment.”
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Boots has said all affected workers are being offered alternative roles in other stores. The retailer closed more than 200 stores over 18 months in 2019 and in 2020, it announced 48 opticians would close with the loss of 4,000 jobs. Last month, Boots revealed a jump in sales for the latest quarter, as its parent firm cut profit forecasts and announced US store closures.
Boots UK revealed higher sales in June across its pharmacy and retail businesses over the quarter to the end of May. However, total sales growth slowed to 1.6% as it was impacted by store closures over the past year. Overall group sales were 2.6% higher at $36.4billion (£28.8 billion) for the quarter to May, as its US business saw stronger pharmacy sales offset a retail slump.
The health and beauty firm also recently announced its managing director Sebastian James will stand down in November after six years in the role. Mr James said: “It has been a pleasure to lead this fantastic company and support its transformation during my time as managing director.
“Now in its 175th year, Boots has shaped how people access health and beauty products on the high street and I am proud to have been part of a business that continues to hold a critical role at the centre of the UK health and beauty sectors.”
