Alliance Healthcare
Alliance Healthcare, formerly Alliance UniChem, wholesales, distributes, and retails pharmaceutical, surgical, medical, and healthcare products throughout Europe. The company supplies more than 180,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centres and hospitals from over 340 distribution centres in 19 countries.
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which was formed by the merger of Walgreens with its former parent Alliance Boots in 2014. Alliance Boots had itself been formed in 2006 by the merger of Boots Group and Alliance UniChem on 31 July 2006. Alliance UniChem was rebranded Alliance Healthcare in 2009.
History
Stefano Pessina founded Alleanza Salute Italia in 1977 under the name of Alleanza Farmaceutica, which expanded to form Alliance Santé SA. In November 1997, Alliance Santé SA merged with UniChem PLC to form Alliance UniChem. The combined business became one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors in Europe. In 1998 it purchased a majority stake in the Spanish pharmaceutical wholesaler Grupo Safa.