Boots UK today announces further changes to its business as part of the implementation of its 3 year growth plan.

As announced in June 2015, the plan has four main areas of focus: reinventing its customer offer, focused customer engagement, simplifying its operations, and investing in its people and technology.  With retail changing rapidly and customers expecting new and exceptional levels of care, Boots UK is working towards the delivery of even better care for patients and customers and to position itself for future growth.

Today, three further steps are being announced:

Simplifying store roles

To continue its simplification of support functions and stores, Boots UK is beginning formal consultations with Assistant Store Managers in larger stores across the country. This involves a proposed reduction of between 300 and 350 management roles in order to further consolidate store leadership. Boots UK expects to achieve these reductions through a combination of natural attrition, redeployment, retraining and redundancy.

Boots UK is also moving towards a new, multi-skilled advisor model to better respond to customer and patient needs which will enable colleagues to give the best advice possible. This will involve investment in new training academies to support colleagues in developing additional skills, and training more colleagues on No7 so that customers will receive personal advice on the UK’s leading beauty brand in up to 200 additional Boots stores.

Further improving customer care

The way customers engage with Boots UK continues to change and, as part of its strategic plan, Boots UK is responding to these challenges by offering even higher levels of care across all channels. To further accelerate this ambition, Boots UK has announced today that it will be engaging Teleperformance (RCF :FP), a world-class contact centre management company, to run its customer support centre and central support contact centre, taking on around 400 existing Boots UK colleagues who will transfer to it from 14 March 2016. These colleagues will continue to work on the Boots UK site in Nottingham, will retain their existing pay and benefits, and will continue to be the voice of the Boots brand to the customers they help via phone, email and online, while benefitting from Teleperformance’s global expertise in providing customer and store colleague support for well-known retail brands growing customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Investing in our colleagues

Boots UK is committed to rewarding colleagues with competitive pay and benefits in recognition of the tremendous difference they make and the customer care they provide. Today, Boots UK announces a new, modernised reward package which includes improved base rates for all hourly paid colleagues in the UK.

Simon Roberts, President of Boots, said, “We know that the expectations of our customers are continuing to change and so we are focused on building an even better Boots through bringing new innovation and an even better experience.

“The further changes we are announcing today will undoubtedly be difficult for some of our colleagues. Our priority as always will be to support and work closely with all, making sure everyone is regularly updated and fully supported throughout the period ahead.

Everything we do at Boots is about helping people feel good. So many of our colleagues deliver amazing care for our patients, customers and communities everyday and we are actively working to make sure our people are rewarded for the great work they continue to do. 

I believe our plans will enable us to build an even better Boots and drive future growth.” 

 

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Notes to editors:

 

For more information, please contact:

Boots UK Corporate Communications Team:       +44 (0) 115 959 5995

Anjali Unnikrishnan, Finsbury:                                    +44 (0) 207 251 3801

James Thompson, Finsbury:                                        +44 (0) 207 251 3801

 

 

About Boots UK

Boots UK (boots.com), the UK’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, is part of the Retail Pharmacy International Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise.  With 2,510* stores in the UK, Boots UK is committed to providing exceptional customer and patient care, be the first choice for pharmacy and healthcare and offer innovative 'only at Boots' exclusive products such as the UK’s leading skincare brand No7, all delivered with the great value customers love. Created over 165 years ago, the Boots brand is still at the heart of the communities it serves.

*As at 31 August 2015 excluding equity method investments