Walgreens Boots Alliance Goes Private After Sycamore Partners Acquisition

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has been acquired by Sycamore Partners and is now a private company. The deal marks the end of WBA's 124-year history as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq. The pharmacy chain's various segments will now operate as independent businesses, and Staples CEO Mike Motz will take over as CEO. Longtime chairman Stefano Pessina will remain involved after reinvesting his family's shares.

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), a global pharmacy chain, has been acquired by Sycamore Partners, marking the end of its 124-year history as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq. The acquisition, completed on August 28, 2025, values WBA at approximately $10 billion [2].

Under the terms of the deal, Sycamore Partners will acquire WBA from Stefano Pessina and his holding company, Alliance Santé Participations S.A. The acquisition includes a cash consideration of $11.45 per share and a non-transferable right to receive up to $3.00 in cash per share from the future monetization of WBA's debt and equity interests in VillageMD [1]. This transaction represents a premium of up to 63% on WBA's closing share price of $8.85 on December 9, 2024 [1].

The acquisition has led to significant changes within the company. WBA's various segments, including VillageMD, The Boots Group, Shields Health Solutions, CareCentrix, and Walgreens, will now operate as independent businesses. Sycamore has appointed Mike Motz, former CEO of Staples U.S. Retail, as the new CEO of Walgreens. Motz will oversee the company's transition to a private entity and focus on its core pharmacy and retail platform [2].

Stefano Pessina, the long-time chairman of WBA, will remain involved in the company's operations after reinvesting his family's shares. He will continue to support the company alongside Sycamore Partners [2].

The acquisition is part of Sycamore Partners' strategy to invest in and grow private companies. The deal was facilitated by a consortium of financial advisors, including UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Citi, and Wells Fargo, as well as legal and regulatory counsel [1][2].

References:
[1] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/sycamore-partners-management-l-p-completed-the-acquisition-of-walgreens-boots-alliance-inc-from-s-ce7c50dcd98ff524
[2] https://chainstoreage.com/walgreens-names-new-ceo-company-goes-private