The Boots Opticians branch in Wells will not be one of the 48 being closed around the country, the company has confirmed today (September 24).

A spokesperson for the firm told Wells Nub News this morning that the city's branch is not included in the store closures it announced in July.

The news about the Wells branch will be a welcome relief for the employees there, after Boots said it was planning on closing 48 stores and making 4,000 people redundant.

The high street pharmacy giant said it was "accelerating" its Transformation Plan as a result of the damage from Covid-19 on business.

"More than 100 larger stores in city centre, station and airport locations were closed, as were the majority of Boots Opticians practices," a spokesperson for Boots said about its business during lockdown.

"These factors severely impacted comparable retail sales, which decreased 48 per cent for Boots UK and 72 per cent for Boots Opticians in the third quarter (versus last year)."

Sales via its website, however, have risen by 78 per cent.

Boots UK's managing director Sebastian James said: "I am so very grateful to all our colleagues for their dedication during the last few challenging months.

"They have stepped forward to support their communities, our customers and the NHS during this time, and I am extremely proud to be serving alongside them."