UK retailer Boots today said it was pulling out of services including dentistry and laser eye correction in a move set to affect up to 850 jobs.
Chiropody and laser hair removal services will also be ended under the plan, which is part of an attempt to focus on the main operations of Boots The Chemists and Boots Opticians.
The company said it hoped to redeploy as many of the staff positions as possible, although it did not provide details.
A spokeswoman for Boots in Ireland said the move would have no impact on its Irish operations as it does not offer these health services here.
Boots said the loss-making services, which were set up in 1999 and 2000, had little prospect of making acceptable returns for the group.
The company said the closure move would cost £55m sterling in exceptional costs - including a one-off accounting charge on the value of the businesses - but that it would help improve trading profits.
There are currently 54 Boots dental practices. The company said it would close the majority of the outlets by the end of the year, although it pledged to fulfil commitments to existing patients during that time. The closure list also includes nine laser eye clinics, 52 chiropody locations and 14 laser hair removal sites.
In the last financial year, the dentistry, chiropody and laser hair removal businesses reported losses of £16.3m, while there was a deficit of £3.8m for laser eye correction work.
