BOOTS is set to shut more stores in just days, as 300 are to close for good.
The popular pharmacy chain has confirmed the nine stores that have been flagged so far to pull the shutters down for the last time.
The closures are part of wider closure plans that will see the retailer's total shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
When the plans were announced last month, Boots had not confirmed which stores were set to shut.
It reported that they would be sites where there are multiple shops in one area.
Earlier this week, the health and beauty retailer exclusively revealed to The Sun which eight branches will be the first to pull their shutters down this year.
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Now, another shop has been added to the list, bringing the total to nine.
Local newspaper reports have stated that the Holywell branch in Flintshire, North Wales will be closing on August 26.
Two other sites will be closing their doors in the next few days.
While others won't close up shop until autumn this year.
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Boots has confirmed that all staff working in these stores set to close will be offered alternative roles within the company.
Here is the full list of Boots branches which have been confirmed for closure so far:
- Heathside Rd, Woking – end of July
- UEA campus – end of July
- Hamlet Ct Rd, Westcliff-on-Sea – August 1
- Holywell, Flintshire (Wales) – August 26
- Windhill Road, Wakefield – October 6
- Upper Warrengate, Wakefield – October 7
- Glastonbury – October 13
- Guildford Road, Woking – end of October
- Gorleston, Great Yarmouth – November
A spokesperson for Boots said: "We can confirm that the stores listed are part of the Boots store consolidation programme previously announced.
"All team members from these stores will be offered alternative roles.”
The pharmacy chain employs over 52,000 team members in total and it's expected that the wider closures will not lead to any redundancies.
It will be shutting a total of 300 shops in the UK and 150 in the US.
Boots said it regularly reviews locations "to make sure they are where our customers need us most".
Bosses added that it would be "consolidating" stores in close proximity to each other.
They said the decision to close stores was not taken lightly.
It comes after Boots closed a string of stores this spring, before shutting another at the beginning of June.
Among the shops which have already closed are those in Salford, Ellesmere and another in London.
Boots said in all cases there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Back in 2020, Boots reported 48 opticians were closing with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
It also closed more than 200 stores over an 18-month period starting in 2019.
Boots isn't the only pharmacy chain to shut locations, earlier this year Lloyds closed all of its sites within Sainsbury's stores – with two more set to shut next week.
It has struggled with losses for several years and shut 76 stores in 2022.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
New Look is bringing the shutters down on more of its shops before the end of July.
Asda, which has more than 600 branches across the country, is closing two Asda Living stores this summer.
Amazon is set to close several stores within days as it gears up to open two new locations.
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