Mark Kleinman’s Column: Walgreens needs different prescription for future of Boots June 1, 2022 As an octogenarian with a literary penchant and more than half a century in business behind him, Stefano Pessina will be as aware as anyone of “time’s winged chariot hurrying near”. But is his sense of the passing of time in danger of impairing the judgement of the notoriously dogged and astute Italian dealmaker? The [...]
Boots owner WBA appoints former Amazon director as new CEO January 27, 2021 The owner of Boots will strengthen its team in March with the appointment of a business powerhouse as the new CEO and adding a new executive chairman to its board. Previously chief operating officer of Starbucks Rosalind Brewer will join Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) as chief executive officer. Brewer, a former Amazon director, was the [...]
Boots sales drop 30 per cent as shoppers dodge high street October 15, 2020 British chemist Boots suffered a near 30 per cent drop in sales in the fourth quarter of the year as consumers stayed away from the high street despite the coronavirus pandemic easing slightly. Sales dropped 29.2 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. However, the figures were an improvement on the previous [...]
Boots sales slump as shoppers prioritise supermarkets during pandemic January 7, 2021 Boots suffered a sharp drop in sales in the first quarter as consumers shifted towards “one-stop” supermarket shopping during the pandemic, the high street pharmacy’s US owner announced today. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the parent company of the UK chemist chain, said its retail pharmacy division’s sales fell 6.2 per cent to $2.6bn, driven by [...]
WPP client wins help revenue decline slow October 29, 2020 Ad giant WPP reported another fall in sales in the third quarter but the pace of decline slowed from the previous quarter. The British owner of the Ogilvy, Grey and GroupM agencies said its like-for-like sales had dropped by 5.5 per cent to £2.97bn, compared with a 11.5 per cent drop in the previous quarter. [...]
New Tesco boss’s start date delayed until October February 3, 2020 The start date of Tesco’s new boss Ken Murphy has been pushed back as he is forced to see out a non-compete agreement. The supermarket giant announced in October last year that chief executive Dave Lewis will step down this summer, and will be succeeded by Walgreens Boots Alliance veteran Murphy. However, the grocer said [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? May 26, 2021 City A.M.‘s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Johnson & Johnson hires EU consumer health director US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has hired a new London-based area managing director for consumer health in northern Europe. Charmaine England, who [...]
Boots Advantage Card payments blocked after cyber attack March 5, 2020 Boots Advantage Card has suffered a cyber attack, forcing the chemist to suspend payments using loyalty points. The cyber attack has affected around 140,000 customers, which Boots said represented less than one per cent of its online users. Scammers attempted to break into Boots Advantage Card accounts using passwords stolen from other websites, which can [...]
Big Boots to fill: Meet the Walgreens exec replacing Tesco’s CEO October 2, 2019 Boots veteran Ken Murphy has been named as the successor to outgoing Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis. The City reacted with surprise this morning to the news of Lewis’ departure, and the appointment of the relatively unknown new boss. Read more: Analysts react to Dave Lewis shock departure Murphy, a qualified accountant, began his career [...]
Private Equity firm 3i posts 10 per cent return November 14, 2019 Listed private equity firm 3i has reported an increased half-year return of 10 per cent, boosted by good trading performance across its portfolios. The company notched up a total return of £767m for the first six months of the year, a 10 per cent increase on the previous year’s figure. Read more: Cobham buyer Advent [...]