The Walgreens Boots Alliance empire was created through the combination of the US drugstore giant Walgreens and the UK’s leading pharmacy retailer Alliance Boots in late 2014.
The merger secured Boots chairman Stefano Pessina’s long-held ambition of creating a global health and beauty business.
Its scale was given a boost a few years later, when it agreed a deal to acquire 1,932 stores from US pharmacy rival Rite Aid.
Walgreens Boots Alliance in the UK has been re-investing funds in technology to up its digital capabilities, as well as taking the Advantage Card loyalty scheme online. As part of its plans it wants to build a “really seamless omnichannel offer”.
Boots remains the UK’s largest chemist chain by some margin and measures such as overhauling its largest beauty halls is helping drive the UK business forward. The retailer is part of Walgreens Boots Alliance's retail pharmacy international division.
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Boots has suspended the use of Advantage Card points in lieu of payment after hackers accessed almost 150,000 customer accounts.
This Valentine’s Day, Retail Week looks at the retailers that have formed long-lasting unions be it through mergers, acquisitions or partnerships.
Boots’ first UK chair Elizabeth Fagan has stepped down from the retailer after less than two years in the role.
Boots has recorded a decline in first-quarter sales as parent group Walgreens Boots Alliance reiterated its full-year profit guidance despite a slump in operating income.
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