Boots sales move ahead after strong Christmas

SHOPPERS are flocking to Nottinghamshire’s largest firm Boots with trade up both in store and online, according to its latest financial results.

Boots says it has continued its strong performance for the second quarter of the year, reporting retail sales growth of 5.9% for the three months to February 29, 2024, on top of a 16% increase in the previous quarter.

More customers are shopping at Boots with footfall up both in store and online, and a twelfth consecutive quarter of retail market share growth, the company’s report said. The Thane Road-based retailer said its website and its app had continued to grow “rapidly” with digital sales up 16.8%, which the firm said was driven by particularly strong sales of beauty and personal care products.

In-store sales also increased by 4.5%, with flagship shopping centre and travel stores performing particularly well. Boots also revealed that Christmas had been a very successful period for sales, with trading particularly strong throughout December.

The most popular gifts were the brand’s own gift sets, like the No7 Ultimate Skincare Collection and the Soap & Glory Pop Spa Classics set. Boots said the launch of its beauty-only store in London’s Battersea Power Station in December, which coincided with the launch of even more new beauty brands, had cemented its position as the UK’S leading beauty retailer.

The brand reasoned that the store’s launch, along with upgrades to a number of Boots beauty halls across the UK, had contributed to the higher beauty sales growth. 19 new beauty brands launched in the business quarter.

Sebastian James, Boots UK & ROI CEO, commented: “I am really pleased to see our positive momentum continue across the whole business, with more people shopping with us both online and in store, and strong gains in both our key markets of healthcare and beauty.

“I am particularly proud of our pharmacy team, who worked incredibly hard to launch Pharmacy First in England; the feedback from patients has been brilliant and it is clear that they value the convenience of accessing a trusted healthcare professional on their local high street with no appointment necessary.”