The Jesse Boot Era 1871-1920

John Boot’s son—Jesse Boots became a partner of business. The shop grew very fast to become one of busiest shop at that time. To expand the business, in 1883, Jesse established the business as a private company and employed the first pharmacist. To build up public confidence in the quality and purity of his products, Jesse renamed the business Boots Pure Drug Company Ltd in 1888. In 1884, the first Boots store outside Nottingham was opened, at Snig Hill in Sheffield. By 1893 Jesse had opened 33 stores including 7 branches in Nottingham. The business extended further south, into East Anglia, and the West Midlands. At the turn of the century there were 250 stores in the Boots retail chain.