Boots closing 220 photo labs in the UK, 400 jobs at risk

Boots, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the UK, has confirmed that it will be closing 220 of its photo labs.

The company said the decision was made because of weak demand for its developing and printing services, especially given the rise in digital photography.

The closures are expected to be completed by the end of August. Boots has not yet announced which stores will close – it currently has 320 photo labs across Britain.

“Impacted colleagues will be offered retraining and redeployment to other roles where possible, however, some roles may be made redundant,” Boots said in a statement.

The announcement puts 400 jobs at risk.

A spokesperson for Boots said that the firm will try to offer opportunities to those impacted by the closures redeployment “where possible”.

The spokesperson said:

“To continue to focus on the customer demand for instant kiosks to print photos and order photo gifts, Boots UK is removing 220 photo labs from stores, and has announced changes to the in store photo teams.

“Impacted colleagues will be offered retraining and redeployment to other roles where possible, however, some roles may be made redundant.

“In-store photo labs will remain in 100 locations spread across the country, offering one hour services on photo gifts and processing rolls of film.”

Since the health and beauty retailer was acquired by US-based pharmacy giant Walgreen in 2014, management has significantly cut costs in an effort to simplify Boots’ business model. Boots cut 700 back office roles in June 2015, and last February the company revealed plans to strip 350 assistant store managers in its larger shops.

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In separate news, the multinational food and drinks company PepsiCo announced earlier today that it is considering closing its Walkers snacks factory in Peterlee, County Durham, which would put 380 jobs at risk.

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