‘Significant impact’ as final pharmacy vacates area for good TODAY amid wave of 300 closures
A FAMOUS British health and pharmacy chain has shut one of its stores for good leaving locals without a pharmacy in their area.
Local councillors in York have now launched a petition calling for a community pharmacy for Clifton residents.
It comes after Boots announced it was closing an additional six pharmacies.
The Clifton branch is one of 300 shops Boots is expected to pull the plug on.
In the petition, the councillors detail the extra stress this closure adds on the Clifton community as many will now have to travel “further afield for medication and health advice”.
Without one, the impact on Clifton residents will be significant
York Council
Community pharmacies are responsible for providing health advice which diverse people away from GP practices where possible.
Councillors also explained how the removal of the Boots pharmacy will have detrimental effects on the already “under-pressure GPs“.
The boots in Clifton will close for the last time today [17th February] with the next nearest pharmacies for Clifton residents located at Clifton Moor, Gilygate in the city centre.
The extra distance will be difficult for many elderly people, says Cllr Margaret Wells.
“Much of the value in a community pharmacy is in the convenience of it being close to home, especially for the elderly and people with conditions and illnesses affecting their mobility,” she said.
She added: “The loss of all the ward’s local pharmacies is worrying for those residents and leaves Clifton in a bad situation compared to other wards which have a number of pharmacies close to one another.”
Councillors have had to reach out to any pharmacies that are interested in opening up shop in Clifton, to restore a local pharmacy for residents.
A similar Boots closure in Bristol Staple Hill has left customers furious as they see their local pharmacy shut for good.
One person on social media said: “Boots has really stuck the boot in.”
Another said: “It’s such a shame this is happening, there should always be a pharmacy local to where you live.”
And a third customer wrote: “Absolutely awful news.”
It comes after Next abruptly closed one of its branches leaving shoppers gutted.
And Game is the latest high-street retailer to announce a mass closure of branches across the UK.
'DEATH' OF THE HIGH STREET
The hospitality sector has been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic while households are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and increased prices are also taking a toll and many high street restaurants and cafes have struggled to keep going.
We’ve seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on their way.
Pubs like Wetherspoons and restaurants like Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito shut their doors.
Costa Coffee on Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield Place ground its final bean this week as the store officially shut on Valentine’s Day.
Several major retail brands have also collapsed in the past couple of years, such as Wilko and Paperchase.
Most recently, The Body Shop confirmed it has gone into administration putting 200 stores at risk of closure.
More shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
British retailers saw the amount of goods they sold drop last month at its fastest rate in three years as under-pressure families shifted part of their Christmas shop to earlier in the year.
Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data from the Office for National Statistics suggests, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.