Retail Solutions - Boots to create innovation unit

Boots The Chemists is to establish a retail innovation centre in Nottingham, focusing on 'blue sky' developments and futuristic concepts.

The scheme is to be funded by the£130 million savings it will achieve as a result of its outsourcing contract with IBM, announced last month

The£710 million, 10-year contract, will see around 400 Boots staff transfer to IBM, and is part of a major overhaul of group operations that realigns the business into two divisions sharing central services.

IBM will be responsible for infrastructure and store systems, while Boots will head office systems in a separate seven-year outsourcing deal.