Boots: Nottingham-based pharmacy giant set to close 300 stores across UK over the next year

Boots the Chemist has announced it will close 300 stores across the UK over the next year.

Walgreens Boots Alliance, the US-based parent company that owns Boots, said the pharmacy chain will shut stores in close proximity to each other as part of plans to “consolidate” the business.

Founded in Nottingham, Boots is now headquartered at an industrial estate in Beeston.

It is understood that there will be no redundancies and affected staff will be offered work at nearby stores.

James Kehoe, global chief financial officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said: “We will continue to optimise our locations and opening hours, and expect to close an additional 300 locations in the UK and 150 locations in the US.”

The total number of stores Boots operates across the UK is expected to reduce from 2,200 to 1,900.

Boots has more than 30 shops, pharmacies and opticians across Nottinghamshire, however, it is not yet known which locations will be affected nationwide.

As it delivered its quarterly results statement on Tuesday, Walgreens Boots Alliance said the decision was part of a “transformation plan”.

“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,” a company spokesperson said.

It announced retail sales increased by 13.4 per cent in the three months to the end of May, in part fuelled by sun cream sales during a recent wave of warm weather.

The company said it saw a surge in online shopping, which rose by more than 25 per cent, and that its ‘Everyday’ essentials label saw volume growth of 40 per cent as customers look to save money during the cost of living crisis.

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.”

Born in Radcliffe-on-Trent in 1815, John Boot opened his first herbalist store in Nottingham in 1849, the precursor to Boots the Chemist.

His son Jesse would later take over and transform the small family business into the nationwide chain it is today.

In 2014, Alliance Boots was bought by US pharmacy chain Walgreens to create Walgreens Alliance Boots, of which Boots the Chemist is now a subsidiary.