Retail pharmacy group Boots was today counting the cost of its unsuccessful foray into online photographic services.
The operation, which enabled users to create a secure online library for their photographs, is being pulled after just 12 months.
Boots said the withdrawal of the online business would leave it with a one-off cost of £10 million sterling, mainly to cover outstanding contracts.
The bootsphoto.comwebsite, which housed the online operation, is also expected to post an operating loss of £7.3 million in the first six months of the financial year, Boots said.
The Nottingham-based company said demand for online photo storage and the revenues from related services had been "substantially lower than forecast".
Boots posted customers' photographs in a secure site, allowing the user to view online or to e-mail prints to friends. Those photo -storage facilities will now cease at the end of October.
Boots said the bootsphoto.com website was still operational and would be relaunched early next year with a range of digital services.
PA