The main thing Boots has in its favour is its sheer size - larger stores now sell electrical goods, greetings cards, gifts and toys, as well as the usual range of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

What's more, its own-brand products still represent very good value for money, with anti-perspirant spray at £2.05/300ml, 90 one-a-day multivitamin tablets at £5 and a pack of five replacement razor-blades just £2.35.

Extra services such as dispensaries and film processing also help keep Boots top of the pile, and the company's huge Active and Independent line of equipment and gadgets for disabled and elderly people can be ordered from catalogues (available in larger stores) or via mail order. Alongside bigger products such as wheelchairs and stairlifts, there are ingenious smaller items, such as easy-reach hand sticks for picking things up, non-slip platemats, specially-designed cutlery and easy-grip plugs.