Boots could be sold off in an £8 billion deal this week following a wave of store closures. The high-street giant could be offloaded by its owners Walgreens Boots Alliance, which is facing financial difficulties, to a private equity firm following the closure of 300 stores.
The deal with expected buyers Sycamore Partners could be announced as early as this week, according to Bloomberg, raising serious questions about Boots’ future on the high street. Boots announced plans to close 650 outlets in June 2023, and by the end of 2024, it had closed 300, drastically reducing its presence on the high street from 2,200 shops to around 1,800. However, its performance has improved since the cost-saving exercise, which has reportedly made the company more attractive to investors.
Between September and November 2024, total retail sales were up 8.1% year-on-year, and growth was driven by online sales, its app, and its pharmacies.
Online sales rose by 23% year-on-year, digital sales surged by 13.8% following investment in the app, and pharmacy sales also rose by 5.8%.
This growth has led to speculation that Sycamore could split Boots into a separate company from Walgreens and Shields Health Solutions, and place it on the London stock market.
If split, it could mark a stronger focus on the British market, but it does raise questions over whether the future will be focused online or on the high street. Plans are unconfirmed.
Retail analyst Nick Bubb described Boots as “very floatable” due to a post-pandemic surge in health and beauty.
Jonathan De Mello, head of JDM Retail Consultancy, said the acquisition would “no doubt” lead to Boots being sold or taken public.
He said: “Boots has performed well over the past few years and is a leaner business overall now with fewer stores and staff, and no pension scheme liability. A stock market listing of Boots could potentially be quite attractive for investors at this point.”
Walgreens has been performing a £1 billion cost-saving exercise across the business following its market value declining by 80 percent, due to high inflation impacting customer spending, as well as low reimbursement rates for filing prescriptions.
Tim Wentworth, who became chief executive in 2023, plans to remove many mid-level executives and close around 1,200 stores over three years.
Boots has been approached for comment.
