Boots Goes For Self-Medication Market In France

Boots Healthcare of the UK has launched a publicity campaign in France to remind pharmacists of its self-medication medicines activities. The Boots Company recently sold its prescription drugs business to BASF-Knoll (Marketletters passim).

With some L600 million ($942.6 million) of liquid assets, Boots wants to expand in the self-medication sector in Europe, despite the tendency of the market to stagnate at around 50 billion French francs ($10.01 billion). Bernard Giroud, president of Boots' French subsidiary, said that France was the third largest market for self-medication products after the UK and Australia, and the company is set to double its French business within five years after the launch of new drugs and through acquisitions.

Boots achieved sales in France of only 150 million francs in 1994, and is well down in the national drug sales league. Mr Giroud said France is still an emerging market and is dominated by reimbursable products. The company currently markets an analgesic product and a reimbursable antiseptic, in addition to its non-reimbursable range which includes Strepsils sore throat products.