Wills and Kate tie the knot tomorrow, and in keeping with the fervour we take a look back at some of the most notable marriages of retail businesses over the years. Have these unions stood the test of time or did they decide to go their separate ways? Charlotte Hardie finds out.

Westminster Abbey

Walmart and Asda

Walmart and Asda

Walmart and Asda: A whirlwind romance

Married July 1999.

The wedding budget £6.7 bn.

Run-up to the big day Asda had had a crush on Walmart since the early 1990s and since sought to emulate its style of retailing, former chief executive Allan Leighton once admitted. So when the US grocery giant swooped in and swept Asda off its feet, their subsequent union had a fairytale air about it.

But spare a thought for Kingfisher, elbowed to one side and jilted at the altar as Walmart laid its 220p per share proposal on the table - trampling all over Kingfisher’s 186p offering. Walmart made a quick impression. Don Soderquist, Walmart’s senior vice president at the time, said the takeover discussions between the two grocers had “only developed in the last week to 10 days” before the bid was announced.

The witness The then Asda chairman Archie Norman: “Kingfisher understands that we have to do the right thing for our shareholders, our customers and colleagues. We believe this is the right deal at the right price, at the right time.”

The first years This marriage rocked Asda’s UK grocery rivals. Peter Davies, the then Sainsbury’s chief executive, conceded that Asda was “breathing down our necks”. One major competitive advantage at the time was the employment of Walmart’s then cutting-edge technology. Within three years, for instance, availability had gone from 95% to between 98% and 99%. By 2002, Asda was outperforming all of its rivals. Although it no longer reported its figures, analysts predicted that £3bn had been added to Asda’s sales since the takeover, taking its turnover to more than £11 bn.

Happy ever after? This marriage not only helped Asda bolster its global reputation, but also to benefit hugely from the US giant’s global sourcing and buying power which has helped it keep its prices low.

On a nostalgic note, the union signalled the end of the legendary chairman/chief executive duo that was Archie Norman/Allan Leighton. Norman left almost immediately after the takeover and Leighton departed after the first anniversary. However, Asda has continued to grow in power and is today the UK’s second largest retailer and second largest grocer.

Boots and Alliance Unichem

Boots and Alliance Unichem

Boots and Alliance Unichem: A chemical romance

Married July 2006.

The wedding budget £7bn.

Run-up to the big day Rivals Boots and Alliance Unichem put their differences aside and agreed to a proposal in a marriage orchestrated by Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina.

His aim of the merger - billed as one of ‘equals’ - was to form one of Europe’s largest distributors and retailers of drugs, healthcare and beauty products, enabling it to better compete against the grocers. News of the engagement shocked many observers, though, since it would signal the end of Boots’ 156-year single life on the high street.

Despite attempts by Lloydspharmacy to thwart the happy couple’s future, which opposed the marriage on competition grounds, the Competition Appeals Tribunal eventually gave Boots and Alliance Unichem its blessing in May 2006, two months ahead of the big day.

The witness Richard Baker, then Boots chief executive, at the time of the merger: “This is a major step forward in our plans to build a better Boots.”

The first years The newly-weds lost a few friends at the start of their honeymoon as they embarked on a complete image overhaul; the merger resulted in the loss of 2,250 jobs at Boots alone as it began a full-scale overhaul of its pharmacy network, invested in smaller stores and centralised its supply chain.

The new couple then went on a £250m modernisation spending spree - which included investment in the former Alliance Pharmacy smaller stores and a £70m automated warehouse in Nottingham. Only nine months later, the pair bowed out of the public eye and went private in a staggering £11.7bn private equity deal led by Pessina and KKR.

Happy ever after? This marriage finally gave Boots the opportunity to branch out and explore the world. The company has developed its reputation as a specialist healthcare business and increased its international scale considerably - it now operates across Norway, Russia, The Netherlands and Thailand to name but four. Under Pessina, renowned for running a tight ship, Alliance Boots has performed well despite tough trading conditions. Last year its profit for the financial year to March 31, 2010 topped £1bn.

Signet and Kay Jewellers

Signet and Kay Jewellers

Signet and Kay Jewellers: A transatlantic romance

Married October 1990.

The wedding budget $328m.

Run-up to the big day Ratner’s - as Signet was back then - had spent the best part of a decade wooing partners and immersing itself in long-distance romances, particularly those across the pond. The then chairman Gerald Ratner’s conquests already included the Sterling, Osterman and Weisfeld jewellery businesses, and had US headquarters in Ohio. But in 1990, Ratner chose a partner that would eventually help it thrive in the forever-challenging US market. Overlooking Kay Jewelers financial woes - the company was laden with debt - Ratner popped the question. The proposal, though, was the easy part. It wouldn’t take long before marital strife was to set in.

The witness Ratner’s chairman Gerald Ratner: “As I stood on the threshold of a new decade, I thought I had it all to look forward to. I was wrong.”

The first years On paper, life looked sweet for the newly-weds, but beneath the surface it was anything but. Kay Jewelers was one of the most respected jewellery retailers in the US, with a 500-strong store portfolio in prime locations in regional shopping centres, and the merger brought Ratner’s entire US operation to nearly 1,000 stores. However, the cost of all Ratner’s romancing to build his empire meant his Ratner’s business entered the 1990s saddled with $183m of debt.

When, in 1992, the media furore surrounding his infamous prawn sandwich gaffe hit the headlines and he resigned, veteran retailer James McAdam was brought in to salvage the relationship. He gave it a new identity with a name change to Signet, installed a new management team, sold its Watches of Switzerland and Salisbury businesses, and trimmed costs.

Happy ever after? Signet continued to feel the strain of married life until the mid-1990s. Dividend-hungry shareholders tried to split the couple up in 1995 after attempting to force it sell its UK business and focus on the US. Signet began entertaining offers - including interest from Gerald Ratner - but their union survived, the long-standing debt problems were overcome, and by 2000 Signet had returned to profitability. McAdam’s marriage guidance in those early years proved invaluable.

Morrisons and Safeway

Morrisons and Safeway

Morrisons and Safeway: A rocky union comes good

Married March 2004.

The wedding budget £2.9bn.

The run-up to the big day Morrisons had to fight off the advances of Safeway’s other suitors - Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda - which had all been blocked from buying it by the Competition Commission. Safeway’s shareholders took little convincing about the proposal, voting overwhelmingly in favour.

The witness Sir Ken Morrison, executive chairman of Morrisons: “Merging with Safeway will provide consumers with a distinctive offering and unlock the benefits of scale for our combined shareholders.”

The first years In the early stages, the union was a mess. With no clear integration strategy or PR and communication push to explain the move to shoppers and staff - shelves were left stocked with both grocers’ brands and both retailers’ carrier bags were handed out at the checkout. Utter brand confusion.

The other issue was the entirely different IT systems that the two retailers used. Morrisons had basic, bespoke and manually intensive systems, while Safeway’s were more modern.

Three years later, Morrisons was still struggling to integrate the two and by May 2005 it had issued another profit warning - its third since taking on Safeway’s 327 stores. Morrisons didn’t do its homework on its partner; it was, for instance, unaware it had introduced a new accounting system just one month before the takeover. It had also made a decision to remove key operational staff early on in the merger, which meant there was no clear overview of Safeway’s way of working.

Happy ever after? It took time to get to know each other, but several years of teething troubles gave way to a happy partnership. It was a brave move by Morrisons to swallow a company virtually three times its size, but it ultimately paid off - it gave the grocer the opportunity to venture into the UK’s southern terrain, and in seven years it has grown in size to become one of the much respected big four.

Littlewoods and GUS home shopping

Littlewoods and GUS home shopping

Littlewoods and GUS home shopping: second time lucky

Married May 2005.

The wedding budget £750m for Littlewoods, £590m for GUS’s home shopping division.

Run-up to the big day There had already been flirtations between the two companies before romance blossomed thanks to matchmakers the Barclay twins. Sir David and Sir Frederick had bought Littlewoods, in 2002, and GUS’s home shopping division in 2003, to create home shopping giant Littlewoods Shop Direct. But four years earlier in 2001, Littlewoods had approached GUS with a view to being taken over by parent group Argos. Littlewoods was struggling after being hit by deep discounting and cheap in-store credit on the high street as well as the advent of the National Lottery, which hampered its Pools business.

The witness Shop Direct chief executive Mark Newton-Jones: “Taking two companies that have been arch rivals for the best part of 100 years and bringing them together - that itself has been the biggest challenge of all.”

The first years A five-year turnaround plan was quickly put into place - the plan for Littlewoods being to double online sales and get back to growth. The couple set about co-habiting as head offices merged, merchandise was overhauled, warehouses and call centres closed and weaker brands phased out. It wasn’t the most straightforward of relationships; these were brands with entirely different personalities and cultures and combining the two was a huge task for the Shop Direct team. However, by 2008, sales had climbed 2.6% to £1.78bn in the 53 weeks to April 30.

Happy ever after? Shop Direct is now the UK’s largest home shopping business by a mile. Retail Week Knowledge Bank’s latest figures show that its home shopping sales for 2008/09 reached £1.4bn. After offloading Littlewoods’ high street stores business, which delivered a £42.6m boost to the group’s new joint bank account, the romance has steered away from its catalogue roots and into a thriving online business.