Boots to cut 700 office jobs in the UK
Store workers will not be affected
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boots are cutting 700 office jobs in the UK, a spokesman has confirmed.
The pharmacist will lose 400 roles from its UK headquarters in Nottingham and another 300 from supporting roles in regions. Not all staff will lose their jobs outright, however, with voluntary losses, redeployments and retraining expected for some.
"Boots is simplifying the structure of support functions in order to provide a better level of service for stores and allow for a more focused investment in key areas to drive future growth," the firm said.
It added that the plan formed part of Walgreen’s Boots Alliance’s cost restructuring programme, set out in April.
Three years ago, Stefano Pessina, the executive chairman of Alliance Boots, said the company’s sale to Walgreens would not result in job cuts.
"How could I do a deal to kill Boots?" Pessina said at that time. "I have done a deal to make Boots more visible, more international, to create a lot of new markets for Boots and for Nottingham."
The £16 billion deal was approved in December and came into effect in January Boots now has 2511 in the UK and 633 opticians practices, part of 12,000 Walgreens and Boots stores across the globe.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments