Boots has just unveiled series of proposals to 'build a better Boots' following its 10bn merger with pan-European wholesaler Alliance Unichem last year. Chief executive Richard Baker said last week that the company had "under-invested" in its retail chain in the past. It has singled out 700 shops in Britain and Ireland for investment.

The company will close its regional distribution centre in Dublin, which employs 64 people, according to spokesman Donal McCabe.

He said there will be no immediate job losses but that the distribution centre would cease operations within the next three years.

McCabe said nearly 3m will be spent refurbishing 17 of Boots' 40 Irish shops as part of a planned 100m makeover: "They're probably going to receive about £100,000 ( 170,000) each".

A lot of the retail estate in Ireland is very new, McCabe said, but the company intends to modernise some of the "smaller, community-based stores". Those include Grafton Street in Dublin, the HQ of Boots Retail Ireland, and the shops in Kilkenny, Mullingar and Newry.

Boots plans to shed 2,500 employees in the next three years.