“We had completely outgrown our old premises and had to move,” explains Alvin Brown, manager of Boots in Headingley, with a hint of nostalgia in his voice, “and we were very sad to leave the place. Boots has been here for over 70 years, and we must be one of the oldest shops in Headingley.” To illustrate his point he finds some old photos of the premises, showing it 50 years ago. “Over all this time the team here has built a very loyal local customer base by offering highly valued, personal health care support.”
Alvin has worked for Boots for 10 years, five of these as a store manager. He left school at 16 without any qualifications, had a couple of short-term jobs, and then joined the company. Thanks to their in-house training schemes, he is now a qualified dispenser with the challenge of managing a newly-opened store and getting it up on its feet. “It is very much a team effort and we are all working really hard to make a success of it.”
“The new shop feels very different. It is modern, has a much wider range of heath and beauty products, a new pharmacy, and a private consultation room. It also sells Boots’ very popular meal deals for lunch time shoppers. The store is very visible and in a prominent position in the Arndale Centre/Headingley Central. It is also convenient for the Headingley Medical Centre as we are on the same side of the road.”
“Boots is increasing its investment in Headingley because we see it as a busy, friendly, up-and-coming place with a strong community spirit. You are always running into people you know when you walk down the street and can stop and have a chat. That’s not true of all places and we all love working here.”
Alvin Brown
Manager, Boots in Headingley
25-27 Headingley Central (Arndale Centre)
Leeds LS6 2UE
