Boots to close 300 UK stores
Boots is to close 300 UK branches over the next 12 months as part of US parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance’s plans to “optimise” locations.
It is understood that there will be no redundancies and staff will be offered employment at nearby stores.
In addition, 150 Walgreens branches in the US will be shuttered over the same period.
The news came as Boots announced that its third quarter retail sales rose by 13.4% year-on-year in the three months to the end of May. The company said the increase was mainly driven by volume as more customers shopped at Boots more often, both in stores and online.
City centre flagship and travel stores saw the biggest uplift in sales, while online sales grew by 25.2% year-on-year.
The beauty category performed particularly well, with sales up over 18%, as the company was boosted by a record breaking launch of its No7 Future Renew skincare range.
Boots said in its results statement that it will continue to refurbish existing stores while consolidating stores that are close to each other over the next year. The closures will leave Boots with a total of 1,900 stores across the UK.
Commenting on the quarter’s performance, Seb James, managing director of Boots UK and ROI, said: “Our focus on offering our customers the best in healthcare and beauty, together with a continued commitment to great value, has been well received, and it is lovely to see more people choosing to shop with Boots.
“It is particularly pleasing to see our owned brands proving popular, including an exceptional No7 performance. I would like to thank all of our team members for their hard work in delivering these results.”
