Boots and Next, long-standing fixtures of UK high streets, are facing significant changes.
Boots, the go-to for health and beauty products, has grown into an industry titan over its 150-year tenure on the high street. However, it’s now adapting to modern times by closing hundreds of branches to consolidate stores and save £618million.
The plan for mass closures was announced in June 2023. As it stands, Boots has closed 253 stores of the 300 earmarked for closure shortly, leaving 47 expected to close by summer’s end.
Fashion retailer Next has also revealed plans to shut down a popular location just a few years after its opening.
Express.co.uk has compiled a list of the upcoming store closures. Will your local branch be affected?
Boots
The pharmacy giant earmarked dozens of stores for closure this year, many of which have already shut shop. Some confirmed to close remain open for now, however, they are expected to be gone by the end of summer.
Four major locations in London are set to shut down, including:
- 383 Upper Richmond Rd, Putney, London, SW15 5QJ
- 8-10 Camden High Road, Mornington Crescent, London, NW1 0JH
- 100 New Bridge St, London EC4V 6JJ
- 315-317 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London, N13 4YB
In parent company Walgreen Boots Alliance’s latest quarterly report, the firm confirmed its intention to slash the number of stores currently operating in both the US and the UK.
This means that there remain 47 sites which are still operating and likely to close for good in the coming months.
Boots says that shoppers impacted by the closures will have an alternative store less than three miles away and that all staff members in closing branches have been offered jobs elsewhere.
The chain says the closures concern efforts to “consolidate a number of stores in close proximity to each other”.
In a quarterly results announcement last month, Boots said: “Evolving the store estate in this way allows Boots to concentrate its team members where they are needed and focus investment more acutely in individual stores with the ambition of consistently delivering an excellent and reliable service in a fresh and up-to-date environment.”
Next
Next has confirmed the closure of its branch at the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton town centre. The closure is planned for this Saturday, August 10, and marks the end of an era for the popular retail chain at this shopping destination.
Residents have expressed their disappointment on Facebook, with one user sharing news of the closure. The post read: “So next is closing in the Grosvenor Centre, another one gone.”
One user lamented: “Nothing to go into town for these days. It’s so sad,” while another added: “We have nothing soon in this town.” Other social media users branded the closure “bad news for the town”, urging people to “support” local shops.
Next took on the unit when House of Fraser closed in 2014, around the same time Primark moved into the centre.