Alliance Boots, the owner of Europe's largest pharmacy chain, said on Sunday it will buy a 12 percent stake in China’s Nanjing Pharmaceutical Co Ltd for about 56 million pounds ($91 million).

On completion of the deal, Alliance Boots will become the second-largest shareholder in Nanjing Pharmaceutical with board and operational management representation.

Nanjing Pharmaceutical, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, is the fifth-largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in China with sales of around 2 billion pounds in 2011.

The company has distribution centers in 12 cities across eight provinces and one autonomous region. Its largest shareholder is Nanjing Pharmaceutical Group Ltd.

Alliance Boots first entered the Chinese pharmaceutical distribution market in 2008 through a joint venture with Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corp.