THE British pharmaceutical and beauty products company Boots is to employ 400 people at five new Dublin branches over the next year. In the first phase of a £3.6 million investment, its first shop will open at the new Jervis Street Shopping Centre on November 8th. It will employ 150.
Next spring two more stores are due to open at Tallaght and in Dun Laoghaire, where an additional 60 people will be employed. Boots is also negotiating for properties at two new shopping centres in the west of the city, at Blanchardstown and Quarryvale, and expects to be open for business there by the end of 1997, creating a further 190 jobs.
The group may also consider expanding outside Dublin, according to Mr Peter Burdon director of business development at Boots. Such expansion would depend on its trading performance in the Republic.
The Minister of State for Commerce Science and Technology, Mr Pat Rabbitte, welcomed the arrival of Boots in the Republic yesterday, saying it would enhance consumer choice.
"I hope that this phase-one roll-out secures the expected consumer response and the consequent implementation of its longer-term development plan," the Minister said.
The Jervis Street shop will be the Boots flagship in the Republic. It is taking 1,200 square feet on two floors at the centre, which will include a pharmacy.
The group will be selling a wide range of its branded products, including toiletries, baby food and sandwiches. Boots is not, however, allowed to sell its own branded medicines over the counter in the Republic under current legislation. Mr Burdon said yesterday the group would hope for permission to sell its medicines at some stage and would be keeping the matter under review.
Boots, he added, has also applied to take part in the State's various medical schemes. These offer refunds and subsidisation of the cost of prescription medication for customers.
Boots employs 57,000 people in 1,224 shops in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Mr Burdon insisted that the addition of Boots to the Irish health-care and toiletries market would be good for the whole retail pharmaceutical industry by attracting new customers. "It would be untrue to say that Boots puts other pharmacies out of business. In the UK, we have helped to grow the health-care market."
The Republic is a very attractive market for Boots. The health-care industry is estimated to be worth £240 million a year, with the beauty products and cosmetic market worth a further £165 million.