1849: shop founded by John Boot; 1871 M & J Boot, Herbalists; 1883 Boot and Company Ltd formed; 1888 Boots Pure Drug Company Ltd.; 1971 The Boots Company Ltd.; 1982 The Boots Company plc; 1991Boots Contract Manufacturing and Boots Healthcare International established. ?: Boots Group PLC; 2006; Alliance Boots plc (merger with Alliance Unichem; 2007: acquired by AB Acquisitions Limited (a company jointly controlled by certain funds advised by KKR and Stefano Pessina); NOTE: Boots The Chemist, Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd et al were the retail side of the business and the Boots logo was their trademark.