Boots has appointed outgoing Currys boss Alex Baldock as its CEO.
Baldock will succeed Anthony Hemmerdinger at the UK health and beauty retailer, who is currently serving as Senior VP and Managing Director of Boots UK, Ireland, Opticians and No7 Beauty Company.
Hemmerdinger will remain in his role until Baldock joins Boots this autumn.
Baldock currently serves as CEO of technology retailer Currys, where he is cited as having led a comprehensive transformation of the business over the past eight years.
Prior to this, he served as CEO of integrated digital and fintech retailer, Shop Direct (now The Very Group), and Managing Director of asset finance firm Lombard.
Baldock is “honoured and delighted” to be joining Boots.
He added: “Boots is an iconic, trusted brand with a strong heritage and plays such an important role in millions of customers’ lives.
“This is an exciting new chapter for Boots, which is uniquely well-positioned to meet customers’ growing needs in beauty, health and wellness.
“I am looking forward to working with the leadership team and our colleagues to make the most of the exceptional opportunity.”
Boots, which is almost 180 years old, has around 1,800 UK stores and employs about 52,000 people in its domestic market.
Why is Anthony Hemmerdinger leaving Boots?
It has not been disclosed why Hemmerdinger is leaving the business.
The executive first joined Boots in September 2022 as Executive Retail Director, before being promoted to Executive Retail & Operations Director a year later.
In November 2024, Hemmerdinger took on the role of Managing Director of Boots UK, Ireland, Opticians and No7 Beauty Company, succeeding Sebastian James, who stepped down after six years at the helm.
Hemmerdinger has successfully led the business while Boots took vital steps to become a “standalone company” after the Walgreens Boots Alliance sale.
Sycamore Partners completed its deal to buy the UK health and beauty retail chain in August 2025 in partnership with Chairman of Boots, Stefano Pessina, and his family.
“We would like to thank Anthony Hemmerdinger for his commitment and dedication to Boots,” read a statement from The Boots Group Board of Directors.
“His leadership has been pivotal in establishing The Boots Group as a standalone, private company, and in reinforcing Boots’ leading position in beauty, health and wellness – demonstrated by 20 consecutive quarters of like-for-like retail share growth and customer satisfaction improvements.
“As we look ahead, we are fully committed to continuing to offer an outstanding experience for all our communities and strongly believe in the opportunity for significant long-term growth at Boots.
“Alex is an experienced, transformational leader with a track record of success, and we are delighted he will be joining us as we embark on our next phase of transformation, growth and investment.”
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