Boots owners eye £43bn private equity deal

The owner of Nottingham-based Boots, Walgreens Boots Alliance, is reportedly considering a deal that will see it go private in the biggest-ever leveraged buyout deal.

The brand has a market value of £43bn and Reuters says it has been in discussions with several private equity firms about taking the company private. Investment bank Evercore Partners has been taken on to try and arrange a deal, but reports suggest that many private equity firms are nervous because of the challenges of financing the deal.

One option for Walgreens Boots Alliance is to sell some of its assets, such as its stake in drugs firm AmerisourceBergen.

Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance rose by 4% on the back of the news to $62.45.

The firm recently said it was preparing to close 200 stores in the UK.

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