What is it?

Boots the Chemist is one of the best-known names in British retailing. Its parent company, Alliance Boots, was formed from the merger of Alliance UniChem and Boots in 2006, which was bought the following year by KKR. The company employs more than 110,000 staff and, in addition to its retail stores, serves more than 130,000 pharmacies, doctor’s surgeries and hospitals through its pharmaceuticals distribution division.

What graduate jobs are on offer?

According to Lisa Wallace, graduate recruitment manager at Boots, the company is set to hire about 850 graduates in total next year. Ms Wallace said: “Boots is the largest employer of pharmacy graduates outside of the NHS, so we’re going to be looking for around 800 trainee pharmacists to join us next year, too.”

What training is available?

“Our retail trainees join a 12-month programme, which prepares them to take the helm at one of our stores,” Ms Wallace said. “Graduates in brand, buying & marketing have two years of initial training.” Pharmacy graduates complete one year of pre-registration training in-store before taking their final professional exams.

Where are the jobs?

The company’s head office is in Nottingham, but pharmacy or retail graduates could be based in any of Boots’ 3,000 stores across the UK.

What’s the pay?

Pharmacy graduates joining Boots for their pre-registration year are paid £18,500, the starting salary for the retail programme is £23,000, whereas graduates on the brand, buying & marketing programme begin on £24,000, plus a £1,000 “welcome payment”.

How is it rated?

A decade ago Boots was ranked in the top ten within The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, but it has appeared in the lower half of the league table since 2004.

How do I apply?

The application deadline for brand, buying & marketing is November 30 and retail applicants are assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. Pharmacy graduates are recruited via the company’s summer placement programme. For full details, see www.bootsjobs.com MARTIN BIRCHALL The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers is based on research with more than 15,000 final-year students. www.top100graduateemployers.com

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