The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7237 p260
22 February 2003

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Operational changes to Boots Wellbeing Services (more)

Boots ends complementary health services as part of Wellbeing review

Boots The Chemists is stopping eight complementary health services as part of a further review of its Wellbeing Services.

Over the next few weeks, it will stop providing consultations for Alexander technique, aromatherapy, herbalism, homoeopathy, nutrition, osteopathy, physiotherapy and reflexology from 12 of its largest stores. The resulting space will be used for other product ranges, including healthy living exercise equipment. A spokesman for Boots said, however, that it will still be selling homoeopathic and herbal products.

Boots has now cut back or abandoned most of the Wellbeing Services introduced under its departing chief executive Steve Russell.

Boots is also changing the way its dental service is run. Its dentists will move from being employees to being self-employed and paid as a percentage of income. Boots now has 56 dental practices with around 180 dentists and over 150,000 registered patients. In the year to 1 March 2002, Boots Wellbeing Services, which includes dental care, optical care and complementary health care, lost £33m on a turnover of £231m.