The health and beauty giant has “not achieved the [performance] level required” to give staff a bonus for 2016, it told C+D this week (November 1).

“This is difficult news for all colleagues who have been working really hard amidst a challenging pharmacy and retail market place,” a Boots spokesperson said. "We want to thank [staff] for all of their hard work." 

The announcement was shared with pharmacists during a performance update last month, but the multiple could not give C+D details about any alternative bonus arrangements for this year.

It stressed it remains committed to making sure Boots UK offers the “most competitive pay, benefits and access to learning and professional development in community pharmacy”.

“Boots is a strong business firmly rooted in the UK, and we are now looking ahead to 2017,” it added.

Boots parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance announced last month (October 20) that its retail pharmacy international division – which is primarily made up of Boots stores around the globe – had seen a 1% decrease in retail sales between June 1 and August 31, compared with the same period last year. 

It blamed this on a "weaker performance in the UK", it said in its fourth quarter financial report, published last month.

Walgreens Boots Alliance executive vice chairman and CEO Stefano Pessina said Boots has continued to “make good progress” in putting in place “the building blocks for the future growth of the business”.

C+D reported in 2014 that Boots employees did not receive a bonus because the multiple missed its profit targets. Instead, employees received a one-off “goodwill gesture” payment based on their performance.