Boots is to axe 350 assistant store manager roles amidst a “simplification” process.

The health and beauty retailer said today that it will be starting formal consultations with affected staff in its “larger” UK stores.

“This involves a proposed reduction of between 300 and 350 management roles in order to further consolidate store leadership,” the company said in a statement.

The initiative is being taken in an attempt to streamline operations and become more perceptive to omnichannel.

On these shop floor changes, Boots outlined plans to implement a new “multi-skilled advisor model” in its shops. This will involve training up to 200 extra staff on how to advise on its beauty brand, Boots No7.

The retailer, owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance will slim down 2,000 assistant store managers across 2,510 UK stores by 35%, which is expected to occur naturally through “attrition, redeployment, retraining and redundancy”.

Boots also said it will raise the minimum hourly pay rate for staff from £7.20 to £7.70 come April. Staff in the capital will receive an additional sum in line with living in London.