• UK’s leading health and beauty retailer to celebrate with activities throughout the year
• Throughout its 175 year history, Boots has played an important role in British culture, shaping how people shop and access health and beauty products and services
• Boots is also responsible for introducing iconic British brands like Soltan and No7

2024 marks the 175^th year since Boots founder John Boot opened a herbalist store in Nottingham’s Goose Gate in 1849. Today, Boots is the UK’s leading health and beauty retailer with over 52,000 team members and 2,100 stores.

To mark the anniversary, Boots will celebrate with various activities throughout the year, including:

• Kicking off celebrations with special offers for our Advantae Card members – 19 January
• Celebrating its role in providing healthcare on the high street – February
• An exhibition at the Djanogly Art Gallery at the University of Nottingham – Spring
• Charting beauty trends through 175 years – Spring
• Highlighting its role in sun safety with Soltan and Macmillan – Summer
• Unveiling the portrait of Florence Boot at the National Portrait Gallery – Autumn

Sophie Clapp, Head of Archives at Boots, said: “Boots has a strong history of innovation and we are incredibly excited to celebrate our 175^th anniversary. John Boot’s founding mission was to make healthcare affordable before the NHS was in existence. Later in the nineteenth century, Boots was at the forefront retail concept with new, department store formats and it continues to innovate today with reinvented beauty halls and healthcare areas. I am looking forward to showcasing our rich heritage throughout the year and demonstrating how it has shaped the business today.”

Throughout its 175 year history, Boots has played an important role in British culture, shaping how people shop and access health and beauty products and services. Boots is also responsible for introducing iconic British brands like Soltan and No7.

As an employer, Boots has a strong legacy of welfare and support for team members, having introduced the five-day working week in the UK.

Here are some of the health and beauty’s key milestones since 1849:

• 1849 – John Boot opened a herbalist store in Nottingham to offer an affordable alternative to traditional medicines
• 1884 – Boots appointed the first pharmacist to bring professional expertise to the British high-street healthcare system.
• 1870s – John’s son Jesse took over the business expanded its offer to over-the-counter medicines, sold at a fraction of the normal charge.
• 1886 – Florence Boot joined the business, introducing new services and products and established Boots as a destination for high street beauty.
• 1933 – A huge year for Boots with the opening of its 1000^th store. In the same year, Boots introducing the 5-day working week into the UK.
• 1935 – Original No7 beauty range launched.
• 1944 – Commenced the large-scale manufacture of penicillin on behalf of the British Government.
• 1948 – Partnered with the newly-formed NHS to operate a public health service.
• 2021 – Opened the first Covid-19 vaccination hub and supported the NHS across the country by administering Covid-19 vaccinations and booster jabs.