Boots confirms plans to shutter 200 stores

The health and beauty retailer’s store closure programme, which will impact just under 10% of its store estate, will focus on stores in locations where it already operates multiple outlets.

The move follows the retailer’s US parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance’s chief executive Stefano Pessina’s pledge in December to cut costs across the group to the tune of $1bn (£800m) within three years.

Boots UK managing director Seb James said: “WBA has now approved an outline plan to consolidate around 200, principally local pharmacy, stores where we have a large number within close proximity.

“We believe this is the right thing to do as it means that we can invest more in staffing those stores while not reducing our 90% coverage within a 10-minute drive of a Boots.

“We do not anticipate a significant effect from this activity to colleagues as we will redeploy the overwhelming majority to neighbouring stores. At the same time, we continue to open new stores where we believe there are communities that would benefit from a new Boots – for example, the new Covent Garden flagship, creating 130 new jobs, which opened yesterday.”

Boots currently has 56,000 employees and operates over 2,500 stores across the UK.

As part of its ongoing cost-cutting drive, the health and beauty retailer put 800 roles across its 2,500-strong head office headcount into consultation in a bid to reduce costs by 20%.