The new owners have already signalled they plan to expand Boots’ healthcare service, a booming industry at the moment.
The retailer started out as an apothecary, so health is in its roots. Today, it offers a wide range of health and wellbeing services as well as prescriptions and vaccinations through its in-store pharmacies.
It also announced earlier this summer it was expanding services for weight loss drugs, which have surged in popularity.
Naghten points out that the Weston family’s purchase of Boots comes at a time when pharmacies are increasingly going to prescribe more medications and health services, in a bid to ease pressure on GP surgeries and hospitals.
“They didn’t buy this thing for no reason. They have got the blueprint,” she says.
While health will remain a core part of its business, Boots has other strengths, Naghten adds, in its No7 make-up and skincare products.
“When you have all these people coming in for health and wellbeing services, they will also be picking up a lipstick,” she says.
Willmott suggests Boots has an “edge” over its rivals on the health side, given its reputation as an expert.
But the company is facing tough competition, which Boots acknowledged affected revenues in its latest financial results.
Shoppers, particularly younger ones, are increasingly seeking products online through influencer ads rather than heading to brick-and-mortar shops.
There are also other big players, such as Superdrug. And M&S this week announced a new partnership with Sephora, saying it would replace a hundred of its own beauty departments with the brand next year.
For 18-year-old Schekina Bourne, Boots is not a “go-to shop” for her. “Even though I can go to Boots even in my area….Superdrug is like closest to me. So, I’ll prefer the convenience,” she says.
Additional reporting by Ben Sturt and Anuk Weerawardana
