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Boots has appointed the managing director of its Healthcare

International (BHI) division, Barry Clare, as its first group marketing

director, with a brief to oversee the future direction of the Boots

retail brand.

Clare, who has been at Boots for around ten years, moves to his new role

in August, but will retain his existing board responsibilities for BHI

and the international retail operation. He will be replaced as managing

director of BHI by Alberto Culver International president Paul

Stoneham.

The creation of the new role is a crucial move for Boots as it

intensifies its focus on its core range of health and beauty offerings,

including dentistry, hearing care, chiropody and makeovers. Clare's

responsibilities will centre on developing the Boots retail customer

offer in the UK, including new products and services, as well as store

format innovation.

Clare's appointment will not affect the position of Boots The Chemists

director of marketing Zoe Morgan, who will retain day-to-day

responsibility for the retail brand's marketing activity.

"Barry's appointment is very much about the strategy that will take the

brand forward," said a Boots spokesman. "Our stated ambition is to

become the leader in the provision of wellbeing products and services in

the UK and overseas. His new role will help us achieve that."

The move toward creating a more focused strategy for the Boots brand

follows last October's decision to pool its entire pounds 80m global

marketing business into the WPP network, from which J Walter Thompson

and Mind-Share emerged as the main beneficiaries.

Details of the latest management restructuring, which also saw BTC

managing director Ken Piggott take on overall responsibility for the UK

and Ireland retail operations, emerged as Boots announced operating

profit for the BTC division rose 7% to pounds 526m in the year to March

31.

The BHI operation saw profit more than double to pounds 49.2m, aided by

improved advertising efficiency. However, Boots chief executive Steve

Russell said results from the Opticians division were "disappointing",

with profits down by more than 50%.