Could Pessina make a dramatic return to Boots?

Stefano Pessina, the man who has been involved in a string of takeover deals for Nottingham-based pharmacy giant

Boots, could make a sensational return to the company.

The move could be triggered by a $10bn-plus bid by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for Boots parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA). The deal would mean that WBA would be taken private and de-list from the New York Stock Exchange and that Sycamore would look for separate ownership for Boots, says Sky News.

Pessina, who owns a stake of around 17% in WBA, is expected to play a key role in the Boots carve-out.

Stefano Pessina

The deal could be the denouement of a series of failed sales of Boots over recent years. including most recently a below-par bid from Apollo Global Management which didn’t meet WBA’s price expectations.

Boots employs 52,000 people from its 1,900 stores and recently installed Seb James as its new managing director.

Sycamore, Pessina and Boots all declined to comment.