|
Private equity firm Sycamore Partners LLC, the controlling shareholder of Boots, is considering selling the pharmacy chain rather than pursuing a public listing of it in London, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Back in August, New York-based Sycamore completed the acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, the Deerfield, Illinois-based owner of both the Walgreens pharmacy chain in the US and Boots in the UK. Following the acquisition by Sycamore, Walgreens, Boots, Shields Health Solutions, CareCentrix and VillageMD each were repositioned to operate as standalone companies. Walgreens Boots Alliance was delisted from Nasdaq, and its investors received $11.45 per share in cash, along with the right to receive up to an additional $3.00 per share from the net proceeds of the future sale of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s interest in VillageMD. According to sources cited by the FT, Sycamore entered talks with potential suitors for Boots before Easter, including the Canadian part of the Weston family, which owns Loblaws grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart, via Wittington Investments. The British branch of the Westons controls Associated British Foods PLC, which was founded by Garfield Weston. AB Foods owns the Primark fast fashion chain. Alongside the Westons, ASX-listed Sigma Healthcare Ltd is eyeing an acquisition of Boots, the FT said. In a statement released on Wednesday, Sigma acknowledged ‘recent media speculation’ related to the sale of Boots and said: ‘Sigma continuously reviews opportunities that would create value for shareholders and has engaged in preliminary discussions in relation to the sale process. There is no certainty that any transaction will eventuate.’ Sigma shares closed 5.5% lower at A$2.76 in Sydney, giving it a market capitalisation of A$31.86 billion, about $22.33 billion. Traders had been eyeing a public listing of Boots in London later this year. Last month, Boots announced that its next chief executive will be Alex Baldock, who is stepping down as CEO of London-listed electronics retailer Currys PLC in August. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
|
