Boots stores to close today in latest blow to British high streets

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Boots stores to close today in latest blow to British high streets

Boots will pull the plug on two of its stores today leaving locals with no choice but to find an alternative pharmacy.

It follows months of UK-wide closures which were announced by the health and beauty giant last year, and saw the retailer’s store portfolio reduce to 1,900.

Now loyal Boots customers have been hit with a second wave of closures after the pharmacy chain revealed that 300 more would follow suit.

Today, branches in Cliftonville and Biggin Hill will lock their doors for good, leaving more empty shop-fronts on high streets.

A boost in online shoppers prompted the change after sales on the Boots digital platform surged by a quarter over the latest period.

Boots stores closing today

Customers local to the Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate branch were informed of the closure back in June 2023.

According to Kent Online, Boots bosses revealed that its strategy to consolidate the business would put stores with other branches nearby at risk of closure.

A second site in Kent will also pull the shutters down for good today in Biggin Hill.

Despite the double closure, Boots still has locations in Margate town centre and Westwood Cross shopping centre, Broadstairs.

Cliftonville residents have spoken out on the news with one local branding the retailer’s decision as « crazy ».

They took to Facebook to say: « Just heard the terrible news that Boots the chemist on Northdown Road in Cliftonville will be closing down. Even though there will be a Boots in Margate, the Cliftonville branch is much more accessible, with parking available right outside, on the bus route and surrounded by a residential area within easy walking distance. »

At least 300 more branches are at risk of closing later in 2024 with Pemberton, Wigan scheduled to cease trading on January 26. A pharmacy branch in Littlehampton, West Sussex will follow suit three days later on January 29.

The Boots pharmacy on Hough Lane, Layland, Lancashire will also close its doors this month, though no exact date has yet been given.

 

One reader contacted Express.co.uk to share their disappointment over the approaching closure of their local pharmacy.

They said: « My local Boots Pharmacy on Mosley Avenue Coventry is closing next month. This Pharmacy is well-frequented as is the preferred pharmacy for two local practitioners.

« There was no consultation with local people as to what the closure would mean due to the difficulty of obtaining medicines and advice on ailments. It seems to me that these closures have more to do with the retail side of the business than the actual dispensing side.

« This Pharmacy is always busy, I and others can see no reason for the closure, just another way to boost profits I suspect. »

Stay up to date on store closures near you with our live blog.

Cet article est apparu en premier sur https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1857937/Boots-pharmacy-store-closures-latest


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