It is planned for the 44 pharmacy sales to take place before May this year, and form part of Boots’ larger consolidation plan to shut 200 pharmacies before September – a plan first announced in June 2019.

Boots is “supporting colleagues in the impacted stores” and is keeping teams updated on the potential sale of their store, chief operating officer Tracey Clements said yesterday (March 2).

“We very much hope that these pharmacies continue to grow under new ownership. We are sure they will provide a fantastic opportunity for talented pharmacists to create a great local business,” she added.

Announcing its most recent financial results in January, Boots’ parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance revealed it had so far completed 28 of the planned 200 closures.

The multiple also said it has plans to expand the services offered in-store and to grow its app and other technology so patients can access its free online NHS repeat prescription service and book appointments digitally.

Ms Clements said Boots is continuing to invest in its wider store network. The multiple is making its “retail, pharmacy and online offer even more differentiated and personalised”, she added.

“Opportunity for first-time buyers”

The pharmacies up for sale are a “tremendous opportunity for first-time buyers and existing independent contractors”, Christie & Co head of pharmacy Tony Evans said yesterday (March 2).

He added that the brokers expect that “strong interest will be generated” in the 44 pharmacies, which occupy “community, high-street or healthcare environments” and have a dispensing volume of between 1,100 and more than 9,000 items a month.