Boots denies Sainsbury’s split
Trial results encouraging, says health and beauty retailer
August 5 2002
Boots has denied reports that Sainsbury’s is to end the trial project between the two retailers.
The Daily Telegraph quotes Boots spokesman Martin Wakeling, who said: “From our point of view, the results have been encouraging. We’ve opened in three more stores to explore slightly different layouts and formats. We’ve said and they’ve said we will review it later this year.”
Reuters quoted a Sainsbury’s spokeswoman who dismissed the report in the Observer newspaper as “purely speculation.”
The trial saw Boots-branded health and beauty areas in six Sainsbury’s stores, later expanded to nine. Sainsbury’s has now announced plans to expand its own range of health and beauty products.
The trial, which is due to end in November, was originally seen as a precursor to possible merger talks beween the two retailers, creating a a ‘super-retailer’ better positioned to compete domestically and internationally with the likes of Wal-Mart, which own Asda, and the ever-expanding Tesco empire.
