Boots hails strong first quarter trading
Boots has enjoyed strong trading in its first quarter with total comparable retail sales up 8.1% year-on-year.
Growth was seen across all categories and channels in the three months to 30 November as trade was boosted by an exceptional Black Friday week when sales were up 20%.
Digital sales at Boots.com surged by 23% in the quarter to account for 22% of total retail sales, helped by growth in use of the Boots app.
In-store sales also increased with Boots destination health and beauty and flagship stores performing particularly well. Boots continued to invest in the in-store experience by refurbishing over 30 stores, including Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Manchester Trafford Centre, and Birmingham Bullring.
Sales in the beauty category climbed by 11% driven by fragrance, premium beauty, and skincare a the retailer added over 20 new brands such as Neom Wellbeing, Fresh and Naturium. There was significant growth in demand for Korean skincare after the introduction of six new brands, including Anua and Skin1004.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Meanwhile, comparable pharmacy sales were up 10.9% following a continued strong performance in services including flu, Covid-19 and travel vaccinations. Boots also delivered over 155,000 NHS Pharmacy First consultations in England in the quarter, .
Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director, Boots UK and Ireland, said: “These figures demonstrate that our ongoing transformation – from improvements to the in-store and digital customer experience to a focus on offering the very best product and service range across all price points – is working.
“We are relentlessly focused on our transformation journey and have more exciting plans ahead to further enhance the experience for our customers.
“Looking forward, we face heightened cost pressures in 2025 following the Autumn Budget, however with positive momentum behind us and a clear plan in place, the business is focused on navigating these and continuing to deliver long-term, sustainable growth.”
Boots said its will report on its Christmas sales performance in its second quarter trading update later this year, adding that early indications suggest a solid trading period.
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