Boots store closures: company issues update on which stores are closing in 2024, as boss Sebastian James quits

• Boots has confirmed that 47 more store closures are to come, as part of plans to close 300 shops
• Over the past year, Boots has reduced its store count from approximately 2,200 to 1,900
• The company has said most of the closures will occur when the affected stores' leases expire
• Elsewhere, Boots Managing Director Sebastian James is stepping down after six years
• The news of closures and leadership changes came as owner Walgreens Boots Alliance cut profit forecasts

Boots has provided a significant update on its planned store closures.

Last year, the health and beauty retailer announced the closure of 300 branches to reduce its overall store count.

Now, Boots has confirmed to The Sun that 253 stores have already been closed under this plan, leaving 47 more stores scheduled for closure in the coming months.

Although Boots did not release a complete list of the stores set to close this year, the company indicated that most closures will occur as leases for the affected stores expire.

National World has contacted Boots for comment, and we will update this article with any further information as and when it becomes available.

Boots – which employs more than 52,000 people and has about 1,900 stores – recently revealed a jump in sales for the latest quarter, but its parent firm cut profit forecasts and announced US store closures.

Over the past year, Boots has reduced its store count from around 2,200 to approximately 1,900 locations. The company has previously said that the closures primarily affect locations where there is another Boots store nearby.

(Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The news comes as Boots’ boss announced plans to stand down after six years in the top job, with managing director Sebastian James handing in his notice to take up a role in the healthcare sector.

Boots, which is owned by US-listed giant Walgreens Boots Alliance, said James will remain with the group until November. The firm has kicked off the process to find his successor.

James is understood to be leaving to head up European eye surgery business Veonet, which owns SpaMedica in the UK.

He has been in the top job at Boots in the UK since 2018, having previously headed up the electrical retailer Dixons, which has since been renamed Currys. During his time at Boots, he has overseen 13 consecutive quarters of market share growth, according to the firm.

His decision to quit comes amid reports that Walgreens has put plans on ice to sell or float the Boots chain for the second time in two years.

James said: “It has been a pleasure to lead this fantastic company and support its transformation during my time as managing director.

“Now in its 175th year, Boots has shaped how people access health and beauty products on the high street and I am proud to have been part of a business that continues to hold a critical role at the centre of the UK health and beauty sectors.”

James recently lent his support to Sir Keir Starmer at the Labour campaign launch, which raised eyebrows, given that the outgoing Boots boss is a family friend of Conservative former prime minister and current Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron.

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