Boots to close 300 stores across the UK over the next year

The high street retailer for everyday essentials Boots is to close 300 of its stores across Britain over the next year.

The retail giant will be making the string of closures despite posting stronger sales over the last quarter.

The move will reduce the chain’s estate from 2,200 to 1,900 stores, and is understood to impact shops in close proximity to others. Although, it is not yet known which locations will be affected.

Despite the closures, Boots has said there are no proposed redundancies and instead, workers are to be deployed to other sites.

A spokesperson for Boots said: “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.”

On Tuesday, the retailer revealed people opting to shop online has gone up significantly and people preferring Boots’ own-brand labels has driven up sales over its last quarter.

Boots, with its headquarters based in Nottingham, said its own ranges have been flying off the shelves as consumers have changed their shopping habits during the cost of living crisis and are looking to save money.

It came as the chain’s US owner, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), revealed its net quarterly profit more than halved as demand for Covid vaccines and testing declined.

In the three months until the end of May, Boots said its retail profits had risen by 13.4% when compared to the same period in 2022.

This was driven by a surge in online shoppers with its website sales rising by a quarter over the last period.

Boots said its own ‘everyday essentials’ brand, which includes toiletries and a number of personal care items, saw a growth of 40%, as more of the label’s products were sold.

The company has said this reflects households hunting for more affordable products amid the current climate as many are feeling the pinch of rising costs.

Earlier this year the chain attracted some controversy for changing the way its points card scheme worked, by offering discounted prices on more of its own-brand products, but reducing the points earned per pound.

According to the chain, more consumers are choosing to shop at Boots more often. However, personal care retailer Unilever has seen sales boosted by higher prices rather than more shoppers.

Boots said its beauty products and skincare ranges were best sellers over the latest period as sales were up 18%, and May recorded the biggest week outside of the Christmas period.

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.

“It is particularly pleasing to see our own brands proving popular, including an exceptional No7 performance.”