A MAJOR UK pharmacy with 2,561 outlets is shutting two more stores today.
Boots is closing its Glastonbury branch and the Uppingham Road store in Leicester on October 13, as it looks to cut down on locations that are underperforming or where nearby alternatives are available.
The popular UK pharmacy chain has announced two more store closuresPictured above is its Uppingham Road, Leicester branch which closed today, Sunday 13
In Leicester, locals still have access to another Boots just a seven-minute walk away on Uppingham Road 212, providing convenience for customers as the closure takes effect.
Since 2019, Boots has embarked on a major company restructure dubbed the Boots Transformation Plan.
At the time of its launch in 2019, the brand earmarked 200 stores for closure.
The closures took place over an eighteen-month period.
Many of the closures were because they were loss-making and two-thirds of them were within walking distance of each other, the chain said.
Last July, Boots announced further plans to shut 300 more stores.
The move is aimed to reduce the chain’s store portfolio from around 2,200 to just 1,900.
So far, around 290 of these store closures have taken place and a less than 10 shops are to close by the end of October.
The pharmacy chain employs over 52,000 team members, and it has said that these closures will not lead to any redundancies.
Boots’ parent, WBA’s quarterly financial report, said earlier in June that it “plans to reduce its presence by up to 650 Boots stores”.
Since the launch of the Boots Transformation Plan in 2019, 581 Boots stores have closed for good.
PHARMACY WOES
Pharmacy closures have become a “widespread challenge” across England.
Healthwatch England said that closures can have “huge impacts” on patients – particularly those in rural communities and older people.
New data obtained by Healthwatch found that 436 pharmacies closed permanently in England between January 1 and December 31, 2023 – the equivalent of eight pharmacies shutting their doors permanently every week.
Healthwatch also sounded the alarm over temporary closures of pharmacies – which can last hours or days.
Some 13,863 temporary closures were reported between January 1 and December 31 last year, according to a new Healthwatch briefing document.
It warned that temporary and permanent pharmacy closures are “undermining people’s access to care”.
Analysis of the data suggests that temporary closures were more common in rural areas compared with urban areas.
North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board appeared to be worst affected by temporary closures, it found.
Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “It’s clear that rising levels of closures are risking leaving some areas of the country as pharmacy deserts, with people having to travel much further to get access to vital services.
“Community pharmacies act as the front door to the NHS.
“If people lose access to them, it will force more patients into the 8 o’clock scramble at their GP surgery, putting pressure on the rest of our NHS system.
“1.6 million people a day visit their pharmacy but they are closing at a record rate, and millions of people are seeing the effect of that in their communities.”
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
Boots is just one of many high street brands grappling with the impact of the cost of living crisis, soaring inflation, and high energy costs.
Major retailers like Iceland, Wilko, and Wetherspoons have also been forced to shutter stores in recent months, as businesses struggle to cope with rising overheads and reduced consumer spending.
Full list of Boots closures
BOOTS has never given a full list of the 300 stores closing.
However, The Sun’s has put together a list of 248 branches we know have closed for good:
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