Pharmacy chain Boots is closing hundreds of branches as part of a company plan to save £618million. The mass closures were announced in June 2023, and Boots has closed a total of 253 stores since, while 47 are expected to close after the summer. However, the health and beauty retailer explained that shoppers will have an alternative store less than three miles away. They also assured that Boots workers in closing branches will be offered jobs elsewhere. Boots recently 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.” Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, commented: “We continue to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the US consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics, which have eroded pharmacy margins.” Fashion retailer Next has also been affected by closures, and confirmed that its branch at the Grosvenor Centre, in Northampton town centre, closed on August 10. Marks and Spencer recently announced that its store in Redhill, Surrey, will be permanently closing its doors on August 17 as part of the brand’s major reshuffle. WHSmith confirmed its Stanley Square branch in Cheshire will shut down on Saturday, September 14, while supermarket Tesco will cease operations at its superstore in Chippenham, Wiltshire, on August 15. Another brand affected by closures is the DIY giant Wickes, which will lose its Moore Street branch, in Sheffield, on August 16.
