Type
Merger/Acquisition
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
Sector
Retail
Retail Trade, Except Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles
Retail Sale Of Other Goods In Specialised Stores
47.7 - Retail sale of other goods in specialised stores

1,000 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
3 October 2005
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date

Description

The proposed £6.7 billion merger between Boots and Alliance Unichem will mean that 1,000 jobs will be lost. The deal brings together Boots' 1,400 mainly high street stores and Alliance Unichem's 939 UK outlets, as well as the latter's large drug distribution business and European outlets. The combined company - to be called Alliance Boots - could save £100 million a year within four years and would be able to expand more rapidly in Europe under the Boots brand. The savings will cost up to £60 million to implement, and both companies will have to pay a substantial fee if they change their mind and break the deal.

The companies said that most of the cost savings would come from logistics and backroom operations, and added that around 1,000 jobs would be lost initially. The companies employ about 100,000 people in total - the equivalent of about 70,000 full-time staff.


Sources

  • 4 October 2005: The Guardian

Citation

Eurofound (2005), Boots, Merger/Acquisition in United Kingdom, factsheet number 62378, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/62378.