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Business195 words2 min read

Boots Pharmacy Chain Gets New Owner

black leather boots under white clouds and blue sky during daytime
Photo by Abbie Togstead on Unsplash
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Boots, one of the most recognisable names on Britain's high streets, has been sold to a billionaire family from Canada.

The company is well known for selling medicine, health products, and beauty items across the UK.

This sale marks a big change for Boots, which has been part of British shopping life for many years.

The new owners are a wealthy Canadian family, described as billionaires, meaning they have extremely large amounts of money.

Many people are now asking how this change of ownership might affect them as customers.

One possible effect could be changes to prices in Boots stores across the country.

Another question is whether the number of Boots shops on high streets might change in the future.

A third concern is whether the quality or type of service customers receive could be different under new management.

At this stage, it is not clear exactly what the new owners plan to do with the business.

However, the takeover shows how foreign investors continue to be interested in well-known British brands.

Boots remains an important part of the UK's retail sector, and any changes could be noticed by millions of shoppers.

Vocabulary10 words

high streets
the main shopping streets in British towns
beauty items
products like makeup and skin cream
sale
when a business is sold to new owners
billionaires
people who have extremely large amounts of money
customers
people who buy things from a shop
service
the help and care given to customers
takeover
when one company or person buys another company
investors
people who put money into a business
ownership
who legally owns something
retail sector
the part of business that sells goods to the public

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Quiz

1. What kind of company is Boots?
2. Who has bought Boots?
3. According to the article, what is still unclear?

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Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Boots, one of the most recognisable names on Britain's _____, has been sold to a billionaire family from Canada.

The company is well known for selling medicine, health products, and _____ across the UK.

This _____ marks a big change for Boots, which has been part of British shopping life for many years.

The new owners are a wealthy Canadian family, described as _____, meaning they have extremely large amounts of money.

Many people are now asking how this change of _____ might affect them as customers.

One possible effect could be changes to _____ in Boots stores across the country.

A third concern is whether the quality or type of _____ customers receive could be different under new management.

However, the _____ shows how foreign investors continue to be interested in well-known British brands.

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