High street giant, Boots, is set to close 300 UK stores over the coming year.

The closures will mean 300 communities losing a local pharmacy.

The retailer, which is owned by US company Walgreens, plans to consolidate stores which are close to each other, as reported by Retail Gazette.

The move will see its UK store portfolio go down from 2,200 stores to 1,900. It is not yet known which locations will be affected.

It has been reported that there will be no redundancies, with affected staff offered work at other stores nearby.

Boots said the plans will allow it to concentrate team members where they are needed and invest in individual stores.

The retailer has just reported a 13.4% sales increase to May 31, boosted by its own-brand products, particularly the No7 brand.

Punchline said: "Losing Boots will be a real loss to communities. The NHS is under unprecedented pressure and the Government has been pushing us to go to the local pharmacy rather than the GP or A&E. With Lloyds already closing in Sainsbury's stores, it is getting harder to access pharmacy services, when it should be getting easier."

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