Superdrug posts 7.4% lift in like-for-like sales over Christmas

Superdrug, which is owned by A.S Watson UK (ASW), said sales rose 6.8% in the eight weeks to December 27. The retailer singled out Christmas Eve as its best trading day of the year. Sales were up 15.7% as customers snapped up 100,000 bottles of fragrance on the day.

Beauty vlogger Pixiwoo’s Real Techniques make-up brushes were the best-selling gift on the retailer’s website while vlogger Zoella’s debut beauty range sold out in stores and online.

Superdrug also benefited from the onset of the winter illness season in December as sales of cough and cold remedies rose 29.1%.

The retailer said like-for-like sales were up 4.7% in 2014. Its online arm recorded 65% like-for-like growth for the full year.

ASW also said its fragrance specialist store The Perfume Shop recorded a 2% rise in like-for-like sales for the six weeks to December 27. Sales on its online store jumped 27.1% during the period.

It added that sales at Savers increased 11% in 2014. It did not supply Christmas figures but said “sales were strong”.

Amalgamating online sales across all of its ASW Europe websites, ASW posted record sales growth as sales surged 50.1% in the six weeks to Christmas. It said the number of transactions soared 85.7%.

Black Friday was the group’s best-performing day, with 878,000 visits to its sites and more than 18,000 orders made.

ASW chief operating officer Malina Ngai said: “The strong performance of our UK retailers this Christmas shows that fragrance and health and beauty gifts are still on our customers’ festive shopping lists.”