Boots to close 300 UK pharmacies over the next year

The company behind Boots the Chemist is to close 300 of its branches throughout the UK over the next 12 months.

The US-owners of the pharmacy chain said they will shut down stores in close proximity to each other as part of plans to "consolidate" the business.

The BBC understands there will be no redundancies and staff will be offered work at nearby stores.

There will be 1,900 branches left across the UK from a base of 2,200.

It is not yet known which locations will be affected.

Walgreens Boots Alliance said on Tuesday, as it delivered its quarterly results statement, that the move was part of a "transformation plan".

The company said it had seen a surge in people shopping online and choosing own-brand labels as customers looked to save money.

Retail sales went up by 13.4% in the three months to the end of May, compared with the same period last year. Its "Everyday" essentials label saw volume growth of 40%.

Earlier this year the retailer courted controversy after it changed the way its loyalty card worked by offering discounts on more of its own-brand products, but reducing the points earned per pound.

In 2020, Walgreens cut 4,000 jobs at the health and beauty chain and closed some of its shops as the Covid-19 pandemic hit sales.

The company was recently a victim of cyber-crime when it was targeted, along with a host of other organisations including the BBC and BA, in a world-wide hack.