Group profile

We are a leading international pharmacy-led health and beauty group with two core businesses, pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing and pharmaceutical wholesaling.

Pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing
We, including our associates and joint ventures, have pharmacy-led health and beauty retail businesses in nine* countries, each business focused on helping people look and feel better.

Together with our associates and joint ventures, we operate more than 3,200* health and beauty retail outlets of which over 2,900* have a pharmacy. In Europe we are the clear market leader in pharmacy with outlets in the UK, Norway, Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy and Russia and we also have pharmacies in Thailand. Our associates and joint ventures operate pharmacies in Switzerland, China and Italy.

Pharmaceutical wholesaling
We provide an innovative range of wholesale distribution and related services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

Our pharmaceutical wholesale businesses, together with our associates and joint ventures, supply medicines, other healthcare products and related services to over 135,000* pharmacies, doctors, health centres and hospitals from over 370* warehouses in 15* countries. In addition, our associates themselves have associates in a further two countries.

Products
Both our Divisions are increasingly seeking to enhance their customeroffering through accelerating the development of differentiated products.

In our Health & Beauty Division we have highly regarded and long established product brands such as Boots, No7, Soltan and Botanics. We see our product development, packaging and product marketing capabilities as very important but often unrecognised strengths of the Group and we continue to manufacture a significant proportion of the own product brands that we sell.

Almus, our exclusive range of generic medicines, is now sold by our Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division in four countries in addition to being available on prescription from our own pharmacies in the UK.

The Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division is also developing its range of Alvita healthcare products and selling Boots brands directly to third party retailers in the US and other countries.

* Figures stated are as at 31 March 2008, are approximate and include associates and joint ventures.