BOOTS has been slammed as it “refuses to budge” on a further six new pharmacy closures.
It comes only months after the pharmacy chain announced it would pull the shutters down on 300 shops.
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The high street chain is now set to close several pharmacies serving the regions of Bristol, Conway County in Wales, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire.
One store will close as early as this week and the final of the six new locations will close for good on April 6.
Here’s a full list of the new Boots stores set to shut:
- Pemberton, Wigan – January 26
- Staple Hill, Bristol – January 27
- Clifton, York – February 17
- East Parade, Heworth – March 9
- Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy County – March 23
- Colwyn Bay, Conwy County – April 6
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Clwyd West MP David Jones and MS Darren Millar have been left dissapointed after pressing the chain to keep the two Welsh sites open.
Mr Millar told North Wales Live: “I was extremely disappointed to hear of this decision by Boots and was particularly concerned that they made no contact with myself, or other elected members, to discuss their plans.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with bosses to relay the concerns of my constituents.
“Sadly, they made it clear to me that there will be no U-turns on their decision and these closures will be going ahead in March and April.”
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Customers of the Bristol’s Staple Hill store have also taken to social media to complain about the chemist’s imminent closure.
One person said: “Boots has really stuck the boot in.”
Another said: “It’s such a shame this is happening, there should always be a pharmacy local to where you live.
“Absolutely awful news,” said a third customer.
We’ve approached Boots for comment.
Boots has previously confirmed that it is closing three more stores in the coming months.
Its store on Wood Street in Swindon will close for the final time on Friday, February 9.
Just eight days later, Boots in Clifton, York will shut on Saturday, February 17.
Heworth will then lose its local Boots on East Parade on Saturday, March 9.
The chain has already closed six chemists this month in:
- Cambridge Road, Stanstead – January 6
- Chaston Place, Watton – January 6
- Lothian, Scotland – January 13
- Bryn, Wigan – January 13
- Cathcart Road, Glasgow – January 14
- Northsdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate – January 20
The closures are part of wider plans that will see the retailer’s total shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
When the plans were announced in June, Boots had not confirmed which stores were set to shut.
It reported they would be from sites with multiple shops in one area.
But over time, the healthy and beauty chain has revealed which shops would be closing for good.
Community pharmacies are essential for providing services to local neighbourhoods, but hundreds have been shut in recent years.
Pharmacies have struggled financially for years due to the level of reimbursements they receive from the NHS and the soaring costs of pharmaceuticals.
Chemist chains are also being asked to pick up the slack from the struggling health service by providing more services, such as vaccinations.
The pharmacy industry has lost £1.6 billion in the last decade because the NHS’s pharmacy contract has not kept pace with inflation.
Chemists have said that as a result, they face a massive cut to their real-term funding, which is resulting in mass closures.
Which other Boots stores have already closed?
Here’s a list of some of the Boots that closed in 2023:
- Church Street, Malvern – March 11
- The Port Arcades Shopping Centre, Ellesmere – March 11
- King William Street, London – June 2
- Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea – August 1
- Holywell, Flintshire – August 26
- Upper Warrengate, Wakefield – October 7
- Windhill Road, Wakefield – October 10
- Glastonbury – October 13
- Uppingham Road, Leicester – October 13
- Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill, Coventry – October 27
- Kings Square, York – October 28
- Warminster – October 28
- High Row, Darlington – November 3
- Castle Street, Liverpool – November 4
- Mount Pleasant Centre, Exeter – November 18
- Mudge Way, Plymouth – November 18
- Low Moor Road, Kirkby Ashfield – November 18
Affected team members have been offered opportunities in other stores in the local area.
Boots closed more than 200 stores over an eighteen-month period starting in 2019.
This saw roughly eight per cent of Boots high street branches close.
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Many of the stores shut because they were loss-making and two-thirds of them were within walking distance of each other.
In 2020, Boots announced 48 opticians were closing with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
