Boots The Chemist has selected outgoing Currys Chief Executive Alex Baldock to lead it through a stock market floating worth a potential £7billion.
Sky News broke the news that Baldock is expected to become Boots Chief Executive later this year as the high street chemist prepares for a major stock market floatation.
Expected to be formally announced imminently, Badock's role will encompass Boots' pharmacy and retail operations in the UK, Ireland and Thailand, Boots Opticians in the UK and the No7 beauty company.
Boots employs more than 50,000 people in the UK alone and has around 1,800 stores.
Sky reports that, if Boots does go ahead and list as a standalone company, it could be worth between £5billion and £7billion, according to several retail analysts.
That valuation would dwarf that of Currys, worth just £1.4billion.
Baldock recently told The Times it would take "something properly exciting" to prise him away from Currys.
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