More than 200 Boots stores in the UK could close over the next two years as the pharmacy chain’s owner embarks on a review of low-performing parts of its Boots chemist business, a report in the national media has claimed.

According to Sky, Walgreens Boots Alliance has put the stores under review having last month said it had started looking at “low-performing stores and opportunities for consolidation.”

A source told Sky that some of those stores would close once their lease has expired and other stores may be combined in towns where there are two Boots stores, with staff potentially being moved to an existing or new store.

A Boots spokesperson said: "As you’d expect we always review underperforming stores and seek out opportunities for consolidation. As is natural with a business of our size, we have stores opening, closing and relocating on a regular basis, but we have had around 2,500 stores open for several years now."