Monday, April 30, 2007

Boots



I'm not sure if I'm being nostalgic lately or whether everything old is new again. Maybe nostalgic as I joined a born in the 60's group on Facebook and the things I've been reminded about there! Remember, Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo? But I digress.

I recently heard that Shoppers Drug Mart as well as a couple of US pharmacies(CVS and Target) were bringing in Boots products from the UK, I remembered that Boots used to be here in Canada with its own chain of pharmacies. I'm not sure when they were sold but I believe they were bought out by PharmaPlus.

Here's some history I found on where else, Wikipedia, about Boots:

Boots was founded in Nottingham, England by John Boot in 1849 and transformed into a national chain by his son Jesse. Its current logo is based on a design made by one of Jesse's signwriters in the 1870s. The chain was established during that time, and for the first time they became official dispensing chemist, stocking prescription medicines. By the onset of the First World War there were over five hundred Boots shops. In 1920, Jesse Boot sold the company to an American called Louis Liggett who owned a company called Dug Incorporated. However, deteriorating economic circumstances in North America saw Boots sold back into British hands in 1933 with the son of the founder, John Boot who inherited the title Lord Trent from his father, at the head of the company ('Interwar retail internationalization: Boots under American ownership', International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 7(2), 1997). In 1968 it acquired the 622- strong Timothy Whites and Taylors Ltd chain. Boots now has almost one thousand five hundred stores including some stores overseas

They will be supplying Shoppers with their Botanics skin and hair care products as well as No.7 make up products. I'll have to try a couple out!

2 comments:

Rosemary said...

Boots was my fav drug store far better than shoppers
I too will check out those products

Unknown said...

I admire your nostaligia. My Mother could tell you lots about Boots the Chemists in UK - Jesse Boot was her Fathers Brother.....no we didnt inherite the title or the money.

I too am searching for stories....