Up to 350 roles at Boots Nottingham head office are at risk in a bid by the retailer to cut costs.

The health and beauty giant said it is aiming to reduce costs at its head office, which employs 2,500 people, by 20%.

Approximately 800 employees will enter a 45-day consultation period as part of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s £1bn restructure programme, which chief executive Stefano Pessina unveiled in December.

Boots UK and ROI managing director Seb James said: “Like all retailers, we are operating in a new environment in which customers need us to move much faster and recognise that they want to shop differently.

“Boots has a powerful brand presence, 63,000 amazing colleagues, and the trust and loyalty of the people who shop with us across all our channels. These things make us very strong, but not immune to change, and the change we announce today will help assure the long-term future of this remarkable 170 year-old company.

“The vast majority of head office roles will be unaffected, and we intend to make sure that the number of people concerned is minimised through redeployment, natural attrition, flexible working and other measures. A consultation process with affected colleagues will begin immediately.”