Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
Boots has welcomed a strong performance in its first quarter of trading, with like-for-like sales up by 8.7%, in part bolstered by a “record-breaking” Black Friday which saw boots.com report its biggest ever day of sales.
Store sales were also up by 13% on Black Friday, with No7, Electrical Beauty and Fragrance marking the top performing categories that drove the record-breaking performance.
The group said its quarterly results marked a continuation of its “impressive” return to growth, with retail sales increasing and growing market share for the seventh consecutive quarter.
It added that its “continued focus on value and affordability for life’s essentials” continued to be a significant driver of growth. This included its own brand Everyday Essentials range, which saw sales increase by 35%.
Over the period, store footfall grew as recovery from Covid continued “at pace”, with in-store transactions up 8%, ahead of retail footfall in the UK. The group also noted that city centre and travel stores benefited from a return to the office and tourism.
Meanwhile, overall digital sales growth continued to outperform the market, now accounting for 18% of total retail sales. The Boots App also reported “impressive” growth of 26% and now represents over a quarter of boots.com sales.
Whilst December trading will form part of its Q2 results, the group said early indications show that it had a strong Christmas season, with retail sales growth of around 15% against last year.
Sebastian James, MD of Boots UK and ROI, said: “It has been another positive quarter for Boots. Our focus on giving customers our best ever value to help with cost of living pressures, as well as continued investment in our digital capability and in updating our store estate has resulted in increased retail sales and market share growth for the seventh consecutive quarter.
“Our Black Friday and Christmas performance was particularly pleasing and I would like to thank the teams for their huge efforts in bringing our customers genuinely fantastic offers.”
