03 April 2006

Multimap, Europe's leading online mapping provider, today announced the implementation of its Storefinder 'where's-my-nearest' search facility on www.boots.com. The new service enables customers of the UK's leading health & beauty retailer to search for nearby stores by both location and services provided, and to access comprehensive street-level maps showing their exact locations, in a few simple steps.

Commenting on the new implementation, Ian Tonge, Head of Boots.com Customer Experience, Boots, said, "The value-add that Multimap's Storefinder service represents for our customers is considerable. They can now find nearby stores offering the services that they require in a matter of seconds. This at once significantly enhances their experience of our site, and serves to drive more traffic through our shop doors. Customer feedback has been positive, visitors to the store locator have dramatically increased and we are really pleased to be working with Multimap and our IS&T partner, Xansa, to deliver such a useful service."

Visitors to www.boots.com click on the 'Store locator' link under ‘More Information' on the homepage; enter their postcode and/or town plus country (GB or the Republic of Ireland); select particular services of interest, e.g., prescription dispensing, opticians, or cholesterol screening; and hit ‘Locate store'. Multimap then delivers a list of the top five nearest Boots stores along with their respective address and telephone numbers, distance in miles from the location entered, and a link to further details, such as a full list of services offered in that store, and a detailed map with zoom in/out functionality. The exact location of the store selected is pinpointed with a red circle, and numbered icons indicate the location of other nearby Boots stores in the area.

Nick Reeve of Multimap said, "If a website user is consulting the store locator, it is an expression of an intent to buy. It's at that point of intent that you don't want to lose the business. You want to make it as easy as possible for somone to find the nearest store and see where it's located on a map. The Boots implementation is a great example of how store locator technology can be used to enhance customers' experience online, boost customer loyalty and increase store footfall. We are delighted to be working with such a customer-focused retailer."

About Multimap

Multimap is Europe's leading provider of mapping and location-based services. The company delivers more online maps, point-to-point driving directions and geo-spatial ("where's my nearest?") searches to more companies than any other supplier in Europe. All services are offered on mobile, PDA, kiosk, and interactive TV platforms and in multiple languages.

The public website, www.multimap.com, provides a range of free, useful services to assist with everyday life. Key features include street-level maps of Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia; road maps of the world; door-to-door travel directions; aerial photographs; links to location information; and services such as hotel, restaurant and entertainment booking. The public site attracts over 10 million unique users, registers more than 180 million page impressions every month, and is one of the top 10 most visited websites in the UK. Multimap recently featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table of fastest-growing unquoted UK companies across all sectors.

About Boots Group PLC

We are the UK's leading health & beauty retailer and one of the best known names in the UK. We employ around 60,000 people, have over 150 years of health & beauty expertise, develop and sell our own branded goods as well as other world famous products. We also sell our own branded goods in 10 countries. Our commitment to serving customers means we are constantly offering fantastic products, at great value, through expert people.