SHOPPERS have been left ‘struggling’ after the closure of three Boots stores.
Boots has closed three locations in Cornwall leading to long queues at alternative pharmacies.
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Boots closed its branches in Pool, Cambourne and Redruth in March and locals are claiming this has led to delays when getting their prescriptions.
In December last year when residents of Pool found out their local branch would be closing, many took to social media to voice their concerns.
Posting to a resident’s Facebook group, one person labelled the closure as “Unbelievable”.
Another added: “You are joking? how are we meant to get our prescriptions?”
A third person wrote: “The Boots in Cambourne is set to close too, it’s such a shame.”
Since the closures this year, locals have reportedly been experiencing delays in getting hold of their prescriptions.
Speaking to the BBC, Dr Phil Treveil, a local GP, said: “We are in one of the most deprived areas of Cornwall and access to pharmacies is difficult.”
Other residents of Cornwall have reported “queues were going out the door” following the closure of their local branch.
One local said: We’ve got queues in Tesco nearly 35 people deep and we’ve got people who are irate in the queue.”
The health and beauty chain announced in 2023 that it would be closing 300 shops over the next year.
The closures are part of wider plans that will see the retailer’s total shops reduced from 2,200 to 1,900.
We’ve got people who are irate in the queue!
Social Media user
It said at the time that the decision to close the stores was “not taken lightly” and that in all cases there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Boots said that team members affected by the closures have been offered opportunities in other stores in the local area.
In 2020, Boots closed 48 opticians with the loss of 4,000 jobs.
It also closed more than 200 stores over 18 months starting in 2019.
We have the full list of Boots stores that have already shut and those that have been earmarked for closure – is yours on the list?
What can I do if my local Boots has closed?
If you rely on your local pharmacy it can be a worry when yours closes down, but there are things you can do.
Boots has said that it is only closing branches where there is another store within three miles.
If you are unsure where your next closest Boots pharmacy is you can use the store locator tool on the retailer’s website.
Just put in your postcode and it will show you your nearest store.
Alternatively, if you just want to find out where your closest pharmacy is you can use the “find a pharmacy” section on the NHS website.
You can enter your town, city or postcode and it will bring up all the closest pharmacies to you.
If you are going to struggle to get to the new location you could look into getting your prescription delivered.
Pharmacy2U offers a free prescription delivery service for NHS prescriptions, as do other pharmacies including Boots.
You can find out more information on the Pharmacy2U website.
What else is happening on the high street?
Many retailers are having to make changes to stay afloat amidst the cost of living crisis.
Rising bills and a change in shopper habits mean that many big names are struggling to keep the presence they once had in our town centres.
Marks and Spencer is also shutting down some of its locations as part of its five-year plan to shake up its branch portfolio.
M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, shut down locations in Manchester, Swindon and Birmingham between August and November last year.
However, it also opened up several new locations in November, including Lakeside and the Trafford Centre.
We have the full list of M&S store openings and closures – see if yours is on the list.
Last year Argos started to put in place its plans to reduce the number of standalone stores and focus on opening more locations inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
It closed 42 UK shops, including all 34 of its branches in the Republic of Ireland last June.
A spokesperson for the chain said the closures were to “make shopping more convenient for customers and to enable us to invest where it matters most”.
More recently the iconic health and beauty chain Body Shop fell into administration, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.
Seven stores closed immediately when the announcement was made in February this year.
Since then it announced the closure of 75 more locations, we have the full list of sites that have been earmarked for closure.
In April alone, 14 stores will be exiting the high street, as 14 retailers including M&S and Costa will pull the shutters down on locations for the final time.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included UK Flooring Direct, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
Last year, around 14% of insolvencies were in retail businesses, according to official figures.
