Boots hires outgoing Currys boss Alex Baldock as chief executive

Boots has announced that outgoing Currys boss Alex Baldock is to become its new chief executive.

Having headed up Currys since 2018, he has led a transformation of the business. Prior to that, he served as chief executive of Shop Direct, now The Very Group, where he oversaw a digital transformation. He also previously worked as managing director of Lombard.

At Boots he will succeed Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Boots UK, Ireland, Opticians and No7 Beauty Company, who will remain with the business until Baldock joins in the autumn.

Boots’ board of directors said in a statement: “We would like to thank Anthony Hemmerdinger for his commitment and dedication to Boots.

“His leadership has been pivotal in establishing The Boots Group as a standalone, private company and in reinforcing Boots leading position in beauty, health and wellness – demonstrated by 20 consecutive quarters of like-for-like retail share growth and customer satisfaction improvements.

“As we look ahead, we are fully committed to continuing to offer an outstanding experience for all our communities and strongly believe in the opportunity for significant long-term growth at Boots.

“Alex is an experienced, transformational leader with a track record of success and we are delighted he will be joining us as we embark on our next phase of transformation, growth and investment.”

Baldock said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be joining Boots as CEO. Boots is an iconic, trusted brand with a strong heritage, and plays such an important role in millions of customers’ lives.

“This is an exciting new chapter for Boots, which is uniquely well-positioned to meet customers’ growing needs in beauty, health and wellness. I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team and our colleagues to make the most of the exceptional opportunity.”