High street stalwart Boots has confirmed it will be shutting down a further 47 stores in the upcoming months. Following the announcement in June 2023 of a permanent shutdown of 300 stores, the retailer has already closed 253, with the remaining 47 set to close after summer comes to an end. Boots has assured customers that for every store closing, there is another within three miles, and all affected employees will be offered positions at other locations.
The company explained that the closures are part of a strategy to "consolidate a number of stores in close proximity to each other". In their quarterly results statement last month, Boots declared: "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," reports the Express . Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the parent company of Boots, remarked: "We continue to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the US consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics, which have eroded pharmacy margins.
" Other high-street brands, including Next, MandS, and Starbucks, have also announced impending closures. This follows the forced closure of all high-street stores belonging to luxury fashion brand Ted Baker and popular makeup brand Morphe..
