Reliance Industries-Apollo Global Bid For Chemist Chain Boots: 10 Points
Reliance Industries is believed to have bid for UK chemist chain Boots
New Delhi:
According to various media reports, Reliance Industries along with US private equity fund Apollo Global Management has placed a bid of £5 billion for UK-based chemist chain Boots.
Let’s take a look at some of the key aspects of this high profile deal in 10 points.
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According to a PTI report, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the US parent company of the chemist chain, will retain an unspecified minority stake as part of the deal, people with direct knowledge of the deal said.
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However, it is not clear how much stake the Reliance and Apollo pair is taking.
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Reliance will add pharmacy and beauty retail businesses to its growing retail business through the acquisition. The oil-to-retail-to-telecom conglomerate is likely to expand Boots in India, PTI further reported.
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Boots currently has a presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Thailand and Indonesia.
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It has over 2,200 stores in the UK, most of which are older, requiring investment as they struggle to cope with online retailing.
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Boots’ American parent put the business up for sale last December to focus on healthcare in its home market.
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Founded in 1849 by Quaker John Boot, Boots has been in private hands since 2007, when it teamed up with Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina’s Alliance Unichem.
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In 2017 WBA sold the boots manufacturing business. France-based specialist Fareva with its Nottingham factory.
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Sources said private equity groups Bain Capital and CVC Capital Partners opted out in the early part of the bidding process.
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It was not known whether another potential bidder – Mohsin and Zuber Issa, owners of UK supermarket conglomerate Asda and private equity group TDR Capital – has made a bid, the PTI report said.
