Several private-equity firms are looking at a buyout of retailer Boots, which could top £4.6 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports.

At least four private-equity partnerships are exploring the idea of buying Boots, the Journal said yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The firms include Blackstone Group and Texas Pacific Group of the United States and CVC Capital Partners Ltd and Cinven Group Ltd of Britain.

Each firm has talked with potential advisers and reviewed financing options for a Boots buyout, the paper said, though none has decided to move forward with a deal.

On Thursday, Boots unveiled a far-reaching structural overhaul that proposed the sale of its Healthcare products business, while it warned of falling retail profits this year.

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