Boots closes 60 stores temporarily to move pharmacists to busier sites

9th April 2020

Elias Jahshan

Boots closes 60 stores temporarily to move pharmacists to busier sites

Coronavirus Health & Beauty

// Boots to close 60 stores & move pharmacists to busier stores amid coronavirus pandemic

// It’s part of an effort to have more pharmacists where they’re most needed

// The first wave of temporary closures take effect from Good Friday

Boots is set to temporarily close 60 of its stores in an effort to redeploy pharmacists to where they’re most needed in busier branches during the coronavirus pandemic.

The health and beauty retailer said most of the stores affected would be in airports, train stations, city centres and retail parks where there are almost no customers at the moment.

“We need to make sure that we have enough colleagues playing their vital role where it’s currently most needed and that we can send home those colleagues who are working in stores that are not busy,” Boots said in a statement.

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“To achieve this, we are temporarily closing a small number of stores that are very quiet at this time.”

The first wave of stores affect Boots stores in London that will close on Good Friday.

The second wave store closures – spread across the country – will be closed by Wednesday, April 15.

Boots has more than 2400 stores across the country, and while some shop floor staff will also be deployed along with the pharmacists, other staff could be furloughed.

The news comes after the retailer closed its in-store beauty and fragrance counters as part of the government’s measures to shut down all non-essential services on high streets.

At the time, it encouraged affected staff to switch to working in its healthcare and pharmacy departments – both considered essential services that could remain open during the lockdown.

The majority of Boots’ opticians and hearing care stores have also temporarily closed, but a small number remain open for people with essential eye and hearing care needs.

Earlier this week the high street chain warned that shoppers could be banned from entering its stores to browse and purchase non-essential goods.

Boots said customers would have to say what they want before entering some branches, as part of plans to safeguard staff and adhere to government guidelines on social distancing.

If customers are there for an essential item such as medicine, a shop floor staff member will find the product so customers can go straight to the till to pay.

List of Boots’ London stores temporarily closing from Good Friday: