BOOTS is set to begin closing down the first of 300 stores within weeks.
The popular pharmacy chain has confirmed the locations of seven stores which will be shutting their doors for good.
It comes as part of wider closure plans that will see the chain's number of shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
At the time the plans were announced, Boots had not confirmed which stores were set to shut.
It did state that they would be sites where there are multiple shops in one area.
Now, the health and beauty retailer has exclusively revealed to The Sun which seven branches will be the first to pull their shutters down this year.
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These include two in Wakefield, one in Glastonbury, and another two in Woking.
Some of the closures will be taking place later this year, while others will be closing as early as the end of July.
Boots has confirmed that all staff working in these locations will be offered alternative roles.
Here is the full list of shops that have been confirmed to shut and their closure dates:
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- Heathside Rd, Woking – end of July
- UEA campus – end of July
- Hamlet Ct Rd, Westcliff-on-Sea – August 1
- Windhill Road, Wakefield – October 6
- Upper Warrengate, Wakefield – October 7
- Glastonbury – October 13
- Guildford Road, Woking – end of October
A spokesperson for Boots said: "We can confirm that the stores listed are part of the Boots store consolidation programme previously announced.
"All team members from these stores will be offered alternative roles.”
The pharmacy chain employs over 52,000 team members in total and it's expected that the wider closures will not lead to any redundancies.
It will be shutting a total of 300 shops in the UK and 150 in the US.
Last month in its quarterly results, 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."
Bosses added that it would be "consolidating" stores in close proximity to each other.
It comes after Boots closed a string of stores this spring, before shutting another at the beginning of June.
Among the shops which have already closed are those in Salford, Ellesmere and one in London.
Boots said in all cases there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Previously in 2020, Boots announced 48 opticians were closing with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
It also closed more than 200 stores over an 18-month period starting in 2019.
Boots isn't the only pharmacy chain to shut locations, earlier this year Lloyds closed all of its sites within Sainsbury's stores.
It has struggled with losses for several years and shut 76 stores in 2022.
Retailers have been feeling the pinch since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to soaring inflation.
High energy costs and a shift to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Argos has already pulled down the shutters on 37 stores this year and more are planned over the coming year.
House of Fraser is set to shut up shop in two more locations as it battles to keep a presence in the retail sector.
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Poundstretcher is shutting more locations after pulling the shutters down on several others already this year.
Plus, Iceland is closing a further five supermarkets this summer – as well as four of its convenience shops too.
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