Weston family to acquire U.K. pharmacy chain Boots in $8.9B deal

The Weston family, owners of Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart, has acquired Boots, a British high street pharmacy and beauty retailer, in an $8.9 billion ($12.7 billion CAD) deal. Wittington Investments, the Weston family holding company, stated it will purchase Boots' U.K. and Ireland retail operations, its franchised arm in Thailand, optical division, and the No7 beauty brand.

Boots, founded in Nottingham in 1771 by John Boot, currently operates 1,800 stores across the U.K. and employs 50,000 people. The Weston family's investment firm, Wittington Investments, plans to enhance Boots' strengths and potential through store upgrades, online optimization, and expanded healthcare services. The acquisition marks the exit of Boots' previous backers, Stefano Pessina and Sycamore Partners, who took control in August 2025.

Boots is renowned for its innovation and iconic own-name brands, including its chemists, Stewart Adams and John Nicholson, who invented ibuprofen in 1961, and its No7 beauty brand, which has been operational for 90 years.