Boots reveals more closures as 300 stores are set to shut for good – is a pharmacy closing near you?
BOOTS has announced the closure of more stores after revealing plans to shut 300 branches over the next year.
The pharmacy giant has already identified a dozen stores for the chop and seven have already pulled their shutters down for good.
The closures are part of wider plans that will see the retailer's total number of shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
Boots had not confirmed which stores are set to shut whenit first unveiled plans back in June.
In July, the health and beauty retailer exclusively revealed to The Sun which nine branches would be the first to pull their shutters down this year.
But another two Boots branches have been added to the chain's closure list, according to local news reports.
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The exact dates that these stores have also been revealed.
The Boots pharmacy at Jardine Crescent in Tile Hill, Coventry will close for good later this year, according to Coventry Live.
But it's now been confirmed that the store will shut forever on October 27.
At the time of its announcement, Taiwo Owatemi, who represents Coventry North West, said she was "disappointed and concerned" and has since started a petition to save the Jardine Crescent branch.
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Boots will then close another pharmacy in Castle Street, Liverpool, according to the Liverpool Echo.
An NHS notice has confirmed that the pharmacy will shut forever on November 4.
Reacting to the news, City Centre North Councillor Nick Small said: "I'm absolutely appalled by this proposal, which will take away much-needed pharmaceutical services from the City Centre North community."
Boots has already confirmed the closures of another seven stores by the end of the year in:
- 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
- Front Street, Prudhoe - no date
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 has already shut seven of its branches in 2023 in the following locations:
- Salford Shopping Centre, Greater Manchester
- Church Street, Malvern
- The Port Arcades Shopping Centre, Ellesmere
- King William Street, London
- Heathside Road, Woking
- UEA campus
- Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea
Boots said in all cases there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Affected team members have been offered opportunities in other stores in the local area.
Boots last closed more than 200 stores over 18 months in 2019.
This saw roughly eight per cent of Boots high street branches close.
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Many of the stores shut because they were loss-making and two-thirds of them were within walking distance of each other.
In 2020, Boots announced 48 opticians were closing with the loss of 4,000 jobs.