Anxious wait for jobs news at Boots stores

Boots staff in Rutherglen and Cambuslang face an anxious wait after the pharmacy giant announced plans to shed more than 4000 jobs.

The high street chain said the cuts formed part of their efforts to mitigate the“significant impact”of Covid-19 and that the move will affect around seven per cent of their workforce – a large chunk of this is expected to be at its Nottingham support office.

It will also affect some deputy and assistant manager, beauty adviser and customer adviser roles across its stores. The restructuring will also result in the closure of 48 Boots Opticians practices.

The announcement spells the start of a nervy time for staff at three stores in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, with shops on both towns’Main Streets and also on Hamilton Road.

The US owners of the pharmacy chain said their retail sales had tumbled by 48 per cent over the past three months in the face of the pandemic.

Its opticians business saw sales drop by 72 per cent compared to last year.

The numbers are despite Boots keeping swathes of its stores open to customers during the pandemic.

Boots said that the cuts represent an “acceleration”of its transformation plans to improve profitability across the business.

Sebastian James, managing director of Boots UK, said:“The proposals announced are decisive actions to accelerate our transformation plan, allow Boots to continue its vital role as part of the UK health system, and ensure profitable long-term growth.

“I am so very grateful to all our colleagues for their dedication during the last few challenging months.

“They have stepped forward to support their communities, our customers and the NHS during this time, and I am extremely proud to be serving alongside them.

“In doing this, we are building a stronger and more modern Boots for our customers, patients and colleagues.

“We recognise that today’s proposals will be very difficult for the remarkable people who make up the heart of our business, and we will do everything in our power to provide the fullest support during this time.”

Walgreens Boots Alliance was formed in 2014 after Walgreens bought the 55 per cent stake in UK and Switzerlandbased Boots Alliance that it did not already own.