Boots delivers 14th consecutive quarter of growth after ‘excellent’ Q4

Boots has delivered an “excellent” fourth quarter, with retail sales up 6.2%, driven by skincare and premium beauty.

The health and beauty giant’s strong performance helped drive 6.9% sales growth for the year ending 31 August.

Boots saw growth across all categories with store performance “boosted by sales growth in destination health and beauty, convenience and flagship stores”, and airport sales also saw good growth.

Digitall sales rose 18.7%, accounting for nearly 15% of total sales, with the Boots app proving “increasingly popular”, reaching a record 7.5m active users, contributing 40% of digital sales.

The retailer launched over 55 new beauty brands this year, including the Tik-Tok viral brand Made by Mitchell and Prada Beauty, with overall beauty sales up more than 6%.

Its Price Advantage initiative contributed to a 4.5% increase in Advantage Card sign-ups, reaching 16.7m active members.



Its pharmacy sales also rose 10% year-on-year, driven by increased demand for NHS and private services, including over 150,000 consultations for the NHS Pharmacy First Service in the quarter.

Boots UK and Republic of Ireland managing director Seb James, who is leaving the business next month, said: “I’m delighted to close the year with such a strong set of results. We have delivered a fourteenth consecutive quarter of market share growth and are seeing positive momentum across the whole business, with healthcare now performing strongly alongside our innovative beauty business.

“We’re laser focused on preparations for our peak trading period, with our Christmas gifting range landing in stores and Black Friday just around the corner.”

Last month, Boots named ex-Asda MD Anthony Hemmerdinger as its new managing director for UK and Ireland.

Hemmerdinger has been the retail and operations director at Boots since 2022 and brings with him over 30 years of experience in the UK retail sector.

James continued: “As I prepare to hand the leadership baton over to Anthony, I am confident that I am leaving the business in a very solid position, well set up to continue delivering on its exciting transformation.

“It has been a privilege to lead this business over the last six years and I’m incredibly proud of our team members for everything they do to make Boots as relevant today as it was 175 years ago.”

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