HUNDREDS of Boots stores could be set to close across the UK.
The U.S. owner of the company, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), is reportedly considering shutting around 200 branches in the next two years, Sky News reports.
It is thought no formal decision has been made, with the company currently considering cost-cutting options at this stage.
Sky News reports some of the stores that could be affected would close at the expiry of their leases, while others would be part of a consolidation in towns which currently have two separate Boots stores.
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Staff would be moved, when possible, to a new store or redeployed elsewhere.
Boots is one of the largest employers in the UK with 56,000 members of staff.
In a statement issued alongside its second-quarter results last month, a Boots spokesperson said: "We currently do not have a major [store closure] programme envisaged, but as you'd expect we always review underperforming stores and seek out opportunities for consolidation.
READ MORE: Marks and Spencer to close 25 food stores
"As is natural with a business of our size, we have stores opening, closing and relocating on a regular basis, but we have had around 2,500 stores open for several years now."
The spokesperson highlighted "a huge merchandising project to update our self-selection cosmetics areas" and the opening of a flagship store in London's Covent Garden on the site of a former Marks & Spencer outlet.
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"We are being realistic about the future and that we will need to be agile to adapt to the changing landscape."
Boots did not comment on potential store closures when approached.
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