United Kingdom

Our pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing business in the UK is a leader in its field, offering a wide range of products and services to all its customers.

In the UK, the roll-out of the ‘your local Boots pharmacy’ branded format was completed in December 2009 and as a result we now have close to 2,500 Boots stores across the country. Today the number of Boots branded stores in the UK has never been higher.

As a leading operator of retail pharmacies in the UK, we remain committed to making healthcare more available and accessible. We continue to develop our differentiated healthcare product offering, including our extensive range of Boots branded healthcare products, building on our excellent reputation for customer care and trust.

We want to ensure that our customers receive an unrivalled customer experience when they shop in our stores - not just because of the products and services we offer, but because our trusted, friendly and knowledgeable teams are always happy to help.

Boots Opticians

In May 2009, the Group completed the merger of Boots Opticians with Dollond & Aitchison, creating the second largest optical chain in the UK.  This was achieved by De Rigo, a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of high quality eyewear, exchanging its ownership of Dollond & Aitchison for a 42% shareholding in the enlarged Boots Opticians business. The combined business was immediately established with a single management team and regional structure.

Since the merger, good progress has been made with the integration of the two businesses. We have recently commenced the rebranding roll out, which will be largely completed during 2010/11.