Boots owner ‘closing in on sale to Canada’s Weston family for $9bn’

Boots has 1,800 stores across the UK and employs about 51,000 people. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

The private equity owner of high street pharmacy Boots is reportedly closing in on a deal to sell the business to the Canadian branch of the billionaire Weston family for $9bn (£7bn).

Sycamore Partners, which bought the wider Walgreens Boots Alliance for $23.7bn in 2025, is said to be in advanced talks with the Westons, with the Financial Times reporting that a deal could be completed as soon as next week.