Earlier this week, PAGB was invited to an event held by our Retailer regulatory member Boots, where they formally unveiled a portrait of Lady Florence Boot as part of their 175-year anniversary celebrations. The portrait, painted by Noel Denholm Davis in 1917 and now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, was previously displayed prominently at Boots’ HQ in Nottingham.

The launch event featured speeches from key figures from the Boots team, including Managing Director Anthony Hemmerdinger, Ornella Barra, COO and Sophie Clapp, Head of Archiving. Additionally, Lady Florence Boot’s great-granddaughter, Emma Houston, spoke to share a few personal anecdotes about the kindness of and a few words of wisdom from the woman herself.

Florence was a driving force behind the success of the organisation during its formative stages in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She was a pioneer as both a businesswoman and philanthropist, playing a significant role in running Boots chemists alongside her husband, Jesse Boot. In her role, she was instrumental in expanding and diversifying the firm’s retail offerings to include new categories such as perfume, cosmetics and books.

To celebrate the launch and provide greater insight into Florence’s story, Boots placed several items on display at the gallery from their archives. One such item was a letter from Florence addressed to her female employees encouraging them towards educational opportunities.

During her time working at Boots, Florence was deeply concerned with employee welfare and was responsible for the introduction of many great initiatives which were revolutionary and helped to advance both women’s and workers’ rights. These initiatives included the active recruitment of women into a variety of roles at Boots stores and HQ, as well as offering staff members support to ensure their health and wellbeing.