60 Boots stores to shut for now as it focuses on core essentials

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 9, 2020

Boots has announced that it will temporarily close 60 of its stores, despite it being allowed to operate them due to the essential nature of some of the products it sells.

The company has over 2,400 stores across the UK and these have remained open since the retail lockdown began in late March. But the 60 selected stores will now shut from April 15.

The closures will allow it to focus its staff into priority areas and ensure that its pharmacy operations are to the fore. Like many other continuing businesses, the company has been hit by a high level of staff absences with some employees off sick and others self isolating due to a member of their household being sick. That has meant problems getting the right staff to the busiest stores. 

Looking at the list of locations, the company has clearly focused on those where footfall is likely to be minimal. That includes a raft of branches in central London, branches at major railway stations, a number of UK airports, (including several at Heathrow), and others in normally busy shopping centres (such as Bluewater) that are now largely closed. 

"We are committed to being there for the people that need us and we will not leave a community without a pharmacy,” it said. “We would like to thank our colleagues for their work and our customers for their support and generosity.”