Alliance Boots is expected to learn this week whether it has been successful in its bid to buy part of Sweden’s pharmacy monopoly.
Boots has put in offers for two large groups of pharmacy stores – amounting to nearly 400 stores — being sold by the Swedish government as part of its plan to privatise the Apoteket chain, according to the Financial Times.
Two-thirds of Apoteket is up for sale while the remaining third will stay under government control.
Apoteket is one of Sweden’s largest retailers, and employs 10,000 employees across 900 stores.
Other potential suitors include two Finnish pharmaceutical wholesalers, Oriola-KD and Tamro, and private equity groups.
Alliance Boots has pharmacies in the UK, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia and Thailand. It was taken private by US private equity company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts two years ago.
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