BRITAIN BOOTS ALLIANCE UNICHEM

People walk pass a Boots pharmacy on Oxford street in central London, Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. The boards of Alliance UniChem PLC and Boots PLC said Monday they had agreed to merge. The new company, to be called Alliance Boots, boasts combined annual sales of 13 billion pounds (19.1 billion; US$22.9 billion). If the merger is approved by stockholders of both companies, Alliance Boots would have 2,600 stores in Britain, and more than 100,000 employees in Britain and the European continent. (AP Photo/Sergio Dionisio)