Boots is owned by Sycamore Partners.

British health, beauty, and pharmacy retail chain with roots in a herbal medicine shop opened in Nottingham in 1849 by John Boot, later built into a national business by his son Jesse Boot. The company incorporated as Boots Pure Drug Company in 1888 and went public in 1920. Over the following century it became one of the UK's most trusted retail institutions, operating pharmacies, opticians, beauty counters, and its own-brand skincare labels including No7. After multiple ownership changes — including a 2007 private equity buyout by KKR and Stefano Pessina, merger into Alliance Boots, and Walgreens Boots Alliance's acquisition in 2014 — Boots became part of Sycamore Partners in August 2025 when the private equity firm completed a $10 billion take-private of Walgreens Boots Alliance. Boots currently operates approximately 2,000 stores across the UK and Ireland.