Boots sales recovered in the three months to August as customers flocked to flagship locations and travel stores.
The retailer reported a 15.2% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to August 31, driven by a bounce in store transactions, which jumped 20%.
Boots said flagship and travel stores saw a particular boost in footfall as customers returned to city centres, airports and train stations, while multiple heatwaves and a return to travel led to a “two-bottle summer” for sunscreen.
Sales on Boots.com jumped 100% versus the fourth quarter of 2019.
Boots’ strong performance in the period contributed to a 65% increase in full-year adjusted operating income for parent company WBA International.
In response to the cost-of-living crisis, Boots has locked prices on over 1,500 products and has expanded Price Advantage, offering Boots Advantage Card holders exclusive discounts on over 900 products.
Chief executive Seb James said: “This is a really encouraging set of results. I am especially happy to see more and more customers choosing Boots over others and our market share rising as a result. In addition, I am pleased with the progress we are making in quickly introducing new, trending beauty brands, our healthcare services supporting the NHS and, of course, with our Boots.com offer, which is now double its pre-pandemic levels.
“We know that cost of living will be a big consideration for everybody and we have frozen 1,500 prices, launched Boots Everyday with excellent products for as little as 50p and massively expanded our Price Advantage scheme. More than half of our Christmas gifts this year are priced at £10 or under so that Boots can help people have fun and show lots of love without breaking the bank.
“Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to the 50,000-plus Boots family who have made this great performance happen.”
No comments yet