Overview
- Sycamore Partners has begun marketing The Boots Group and is holding early, non-binding talks with potential buyers about a sale valued at about £7.5 billion.
- Sigma Healthcare confirmed on Wednesday that it engaged in preliminary discussions but warned there is no certainty a transaction will occur and investors punished its shares.
- Reports name the Canadian Weston family as another strategic suitor, creating a bidding dynamic between an Australian pharmacy group and established retail owners.
- A completed private sale would probably cancel previously discussed plans for a London initial public offering, a setback for efforts to revive large UK listings.
- Boots runs roughly 1,800 UK stores, reported about £7.5bn in revenue and recent profit growth, and any change of owner could have direct effects on thousands of staff in Nottingham and across Britain.