With the recent news about the possible billion-pound sale of the Boots chain next year, we take a look back at the high-street chemist that was founded here in Nottingham.
Last week reports emerged that the parent company of Boots, Walgreens Boots Alliance is in talks to be lining up with the Wall Street bank, Goldman Sachs, to discuss the possibility of new owners.
It could represent a big next chapter in the long history of the Nottingham-based pharmaceutical business.
As talks are ongoing, CBJ Target has put together a rundown of the story so far with Boots.
Beginning as a high street pharmaceutical store offering an affordable alternative for the working class in Nottingham, it is incredible to see how far the company has come since its start.
The iconic company has beginnings dating back to 1849 when John Boot opened the first herbal store in Nottingham that differed from traditional medicines at the time.
Jesse Boot took over his father’s company after his death and in 1877 launched an advertising campaign with the slogan ‘health for a shilling’ to appeal to the working classes who began moving away from herbal remedies.
1888 saw the renaming of the company to Boots Pure Drug Company and four years later a ‘department-style’ store opened in Pelham Street in Nottingham city centre.
Architect Albert Nelson Bromley designed the beautiful and unique brand-new flagship store which impressed the public and evidently became an inspiration for future Boots stores across the country.
Boots’ success wasn’t just constrained to England and the company was sold to the United Drug Company of America in 1920 but was bid back by Jesse’s son, John, who had become chairman of the company in 1926.
Jesse was determined to succeed and had a great impact on Nottingham and its community, including his generosity of donating land and money in Highfields to expand the University College Nottingham’s campus.
After Jesse’s death in 1931, his legacy lived on in his home city of Nottingham as Boots became a household name across the country and reaching across the world.
It wasn’t until 2012 that Walgreens acquired a 45% stake in Alliance Boots and two years later the Walgreens Boots Alliance was formed.
The two companies combined with their similar values and trusted services whilst the success of the Nottingham-bred company has continued to grow.
A statement issued to Sky News said that: “Walgreens Boots Alliance does not comment on market speculation and Boots is an important part of the Group.”
