THERE are fears for hundreds of Boots jobs in the north after reports emerged yesterday the pharmacy chain could close 200 UK stores over the next two years.
According to Sky News, the US owner of the retailer, which employs around 56,000 staff, has placed more than 200 outlets under review for possible closure.
The report states that although no final decision has yet been made, sources close to owner Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) have acknowledged that a significant number of stores will likely be shut.
It has been reported that some of the affected sites will close at the expiry of their leases, while others would cease operations as part of a consolidation in towns, which currently have two separate Boots stores.
The news comes after Boots reported a fall in profits of 18 per cent last year and last month said it was conducting a review of "underperforming stores".
At the time a Boots spokesperson insisted there was no immediate plans for store closures.
“We currently do not have a major programme envisaged, but as you’d expect we always review underperforming stores and seek out opportunities for consolidation," they said.
“As is natural with a business of our size, we have stores opening, closing and relocating on a regular basis, but we have had around 2,500 stores open for several years now.”
They also highlighted "a huge merchandising project to update our self-selection cosmetics areas" and the opening of a flagship store in London's Covent Garden as reasons for positivity.
Boots is one of the largest retailers in the UK by store numbers and also trades from around 1,100 opticians and hearing care shops, which also use the brand.
In Northern Ireland Boots first opened its first store at Belfast's Cornmarket in 1966.
In 1998 Boots acquired Connors adding 25 pharmacies to the portfolio with a further 45 stores added seven years later through the purchase of the former Bairds Chemists.
The brand now operates over 80 stores, employing around 1,600 staff across the north
