Boots has announced a restructure in its photo business that could throw hundreds of jobs into uncertainty.
The health and beauty retailer us to shut 220 of its 320 photo labs across the country, axing 400 staff members in the process.
Those affected by the job cuts will reportedly be offered retraining and redeployment “where possible”.
A restructure due to wavering demand for traditional one-hour photo development services will see 100 photo labs remain across Boots‘ estate.
The company‘s photo kiosks, which offer unmanned and instant printouts of digital photos from smartphones and USB sticks, will now be the primary option for Boots customers, available in over 1000 stores.
For customers seeking traditional film developments who will now be without a photo lab, a mail order service to Boots centralised lab in Nottingham will be available.
The company states that three quarters of customers will remain within a 30 minute drive of a photo lab following the changes.
READ MORE: Boots presses ahead with plans to cull 500 HQ jobs
“Photo has always been a really important part of the Boots UK offer,” a Boots spokeswoman said.
“Over the past few years customers‘ expectations of photo services have continued to change, as they print fewer pictures but want to create more personalised photo gifts and items such as personalised photobooks, canvases and cards.
“As a result of these changing behaviours, Boots UK is adapting how it delivers photo services in store.
“Our focus we will now be on supporting any impacted colleagues through this, as we continue to transform our photo offer.”
This is the latest in a spate of streamline measures taken by the health and beauty retailer.
Late last year it confirmed it would carry out a voluntary redundancy scheme amid a plan to cut 500 back-office jobs.
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