Confident: Boots chief exec Seb James said there is still ‘a lot of interest’ in the group
The boss of Boots has insisted that there is still ‘a lot of interest’ in the group amid fears its £7billion sale is stalling.
The High Street chemist’s US owner, the Walgreens Boots Alliance, announced in December it was planning to sell the 172-year-old chain.
A number of companies have been named as potential bidders but there are growing fears that a deal could fall through. A final round of offers is expected this month.
In an interview with the BBC, Boots chief executive Seb James said: ‘There’s certainly a lot of interest [from potential bidders].’
Four bidders have made pitches for Boots, including Apollo, Asda-buyer TDR Capital and Sycamore, three of the world’s biggest private equity houses.
It also emerged this month that India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is considering a bid.
Last month TDR – which helped to buy Asda with the Issa brothers – was thought to be a frontrunner for Boots, which traces its history back to 1849.
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