By Hannah O’Hanlon
Campbeltown’s Main Street branch of national health and beauty retailer and pharmacy chain Boots has officially closed.
This leaves the town with one remaining Boots store, located on Longrow South, about 36 metres away.
All furnishings and Boots signs have been removed from the Main Street shop, with a notice in the window telling customers that the store is closed and the nearest store for collecting prescriptions is in Longrow South.
It adds that other nearby stores are in Oban and Alexandria, and offers a QR code to scan for help with future prescription needs.
In June this year, Boots announced plans to consolidate the business by reducing the total number of shops in the UK from 2,200 to 1,900 by the end of 2023.
The Courier contacted the company to ask if the Campbeltown closure was part of this plan, if any staff in Campbeltown had been made redundant as a result of the decision, and if the single branch would be capable of fulfilling all of Campbeltown’s prescription and retail needs.
We also asked what the company’s plans are for the closed shop, something of interest to the community given its position in the town centre.
A spokesman for the company said he could not comment on individual branches but that closure decisions were typically made where stores were in close proximity to other branches, generally within 2km, but that a store list would not be published on the basis that the company’s priority is communicating with staff first.
He added that staff in all stores affected by closures would be offered alternative employment.
In a statement on Monday, Campbeltown Medical Practice said: “As you are aware, Boots Main Street has now closed and all prescriptions are being dispensed from Boots Longrow [sic].
“Staff in Boots are working extremely hard during this huge transition for the store and as such would like to remind customers verbal and physical abuse towards staff will not be tolerated.
“Please allow three working days from ordering to collecting prescriptions from the chemist.”