Boots moves closer to London float but billionaire Westons circle Retail With one potential suitor out of the running, high street titan Boots is moving closer to a London float, a move that would mark a return to the FTSE 100 for one of the UK’s biggest retailers and deliver a major boost to UK capital markets. The 177-year-old British pharmacy saw the withdrawal of Sigma [...]
Australian pharma giant Sigma quits Boots takeover talks Retail Australian pharmacy giant Sigma has walked away from talks over a £7.5bn private takeover of Boots, renewing hopes that the high street pharmacy could float in London. The Australian firm said on Monday that a deal with Boots would not meet its investment objectives, leaving just the billionaire Weston family in sales talks with the [...]
Mark Kleinman: BP might do well to plug credibility gap with Soames Business Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column BP might do well to plug credibility gap with Soames Now that the dust has begun to settle on Albert Manifold’s ousting as BP chairman, the mutual recriminations between the company and its erstwhile leader have begun [...]
Boots eyes £7.5bn sale in blow to hopes of London IPO June 10, 2026 The owners of Boots are weighing up a £7.5bn sale which would dash hopes of a London listing and deal another blow to the UK’s stock exchange. Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm which bought Boots’ parent company for $23.7bn last year, has been in talks with a number of suitors since before Easter. The [...]
John Lewis, Debenhams censored over Black Friday ads May 20, 2026 John Lewis, Debenhams and Boots have been censored over “misleading” Black Friday ads after being accused of overstating the discounts on offer to shoppers. The three retail giants have had their adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which monitors ads using an AI-powered tool. The watchdog has been cracking down on retailers’ pricing claims [...]
Shopping list: London Stock Exchange could welcome £20bn in retail floats within months April 22, 2026 The London Stock Exchange is gearing up to welcome as much as £20bn in retailer listings amid hopes that the British high street could be key to reviving the capital’s ailing public markets. Three of the UK’s biggest retail brands – Primark, Boots and Waterstones – each appear to be in the advanced stages of [...]
Boots shapes up for potential London IPO April 21, 2026 The owners of Boots have hired advisors to get the high street chemist into shape ahead of a potential London floating which could come as soon as next year. Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm which owns Boots, have been in talks with advisers in recent weeks on the possibility of floating in the capital. [...]
Gousto founder: Rise of weight-loss jabs ‘a depressing state of affairs’ March 19, 2026 Gousto founder Timo Boldt is on a mission to make the UK’s food system healthier. But in a world of weight-loss jabs – and after a succession of failed government initiatives – Ali Lyon asks whether he is fighting a losing battle. What goes into the most moreish hamburger on earth? Ask the owners of [...]
The London IPOs to look out for in 2026 December 26, 2025 The year 2025 will not, it is safe to say, go down in history as a blockbuster one for London IPOs. Over its first nine months, the UK capital’s bourse was even languishing below its of Omani and Mexican counterparts when it came to capital raised at market debuts. We can take some consolation from [...]
Christmas adverts 2025 reviewed… Part 2 December 3, 2025 To see part one of our Christmas adverts review click here Are you starting to feel Christmassy yet? It tried it’s damndest to snow last week didn’t it? And what with the lights getting switched on all over town ‘the season’ is increasingly hard to avoid. To be honest I gave in this week, and had [...]