Love was in the air on Thursday as Sigma Healthcare and retail giant Chemist Warehouse finally began trading on the ASX more than 14 months after their $32 billion reverse takeover.

Mario Verrocchi, the co-founder and chief executive of Chemist Warehouse, who will emerge from the deal with a stake worth about $5 billion, said the deal had been like an arranged marriage, where the two parties knew they were heading down the aisle, but were unable to speak with each other beforehand.