Boots owner reportedly mulling sale

The US owner of Nottinghamshire-headquartered pharmacy giant Boots is reportedly mulling a sale of the business for the second time in 14 months.

This is Money claims the company could be sold or floated “by the end of the year” as Walgreens Boots Alliance looks to place renewed emphasis on the North American market.

It is unclear who might be in the frame to potentially take control.

A joint offer from private equity heavyweights Bain Capital and CVC Capital Partners and a £5bn bid by Apollo Global Management and Reliance Industries came to nothing in January 2022 after both failed to meet Walgreens’ asking price of £7bn.

Boots was taken private in 2006. Walgreens snapped up 45% of Alliance Boots in 2012 and took charge of the remainder of the business two years later.

The company employs around 53,000 people in the UK and Ireland. It posted encouraging turnover figures earlier this year, with sales growing by 4.3% and profits increasing by 2.1% on a constant currency basis.

The Nottinghamshire institution recently revealed plans to recruit 1,500 pharmacy staff across its 2,200-strong branch network.