Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has set the wheels in motion for a break away beauty business, the No7 Beauty Company.
Still part of WBA, the consumer-led subsidiary is made up of the group’s No7, Liz Earle Beauty, Botanics, Soap & Glory, Sleek MakeUp and YourGoodSkin beauty brands.
The move, which marks a change of pace for the retail-focused group, will better position WBA to challenge its beauty brands’ competitors.
At the heart of the company’s strategy is to develop omnichannel offerings with WBA retailers, as well as new and existing retail partners globally.
This will be implemented through a direct-to-consumer model, online and via mobile apps.
No7 Beauty Company has also implemented a sustainability road map as demand increases from consumers for efficacious products that are not damaging to the environment.
Goals include halving the overall impact of new product launches and doubling the value directly benefiting society with its partnerships.
“Walgreens Boots Alliance is committed to helping people to live happier, healthier lives,” said Annie Murphy, WBA’s SVP Global Chief Commercial Brands Officer.
“The launch of No7 Beauty Company, a new consumer packaged goods business within WBA, allows us to reinvent how we manage and drive further growth for our beauty portfolio.
“It is all about maximising everything we are part of as WBA.
“No7 Beauty Company will use the combined strengths of our world-leading brands, our dynamic supply chain and our unrivalled track record for product innovation.”
WBA's YourGoodSkin launched in 2017 following a 20-year hiatus from product development
Boots, part of WBA, founded the No7 skin care brand in 1935 in its founding city Nottingham, UK, but it was decades after No7’s introduction that the UK retailer tried its hand at beauty development again.
Botanics by Boots was the company’s second venture into the skin care market, launching four skin care products using natural extracts that were scientifically formulated.
Almost 20 years later, in 2014, following its mega-merger with US pharmacy Walgreens and almost 80 years after No7’s inception, the group acquired long-term commercial partner Soap & Glory, after becoming a majority shareholder in 2011.
Fast forward to the end of 2015, the group snapped up Liz Earle Beauty from Avon for £140m and high street colour cosmetics brand Sleek Makeup.
During its flurry of takeovers, Boots took a 20-year hiatus from developing its own-brand beauty labels, but that changed with the launch of YourGoodSkin in 2017.
Following in the footsteps of its older siblings, YourGoodSkin was created with scientists and dermatologists to target specific skin problems.
