Boots the Chemist

Britain's favourite chemist is now making inroads into the Japanese market. Its first branch in Japan opened in Tokyo in August, and since then expansion has been proceeding apace. The third and largest branch to date opened on the exclusive Ginza crossing in October. So far, the cool, modern Boots style - a million miles away from that of Japan's traditional pharmacies - is proving phenomenally popular, although UK ex-pats will be disappointed that Boots' own-brand medicines are not on sale because of stringent Japanese drugs laws.