Boots has reported a strong first quarter, with total retail sales rising by 8.1% year-on-year for the three months to 30 November, driven by growth across all categories and a record-breaking performance during Black Friday.
Boots.com saw a 23% increase in digital sales, accounting for 22% of total retail sales. The health and beauty giant said use of its app “continues to grow at pace”, now counting 8.1 million active members.
The record-breaking Black Friday period was a standout, with sales up 20% during the week.
On the Friday itself, Boots achieved its biggest-ever day of digital sales, with almost five orders per second during its busiest hour. Fragrance, beauty, and Christmas gifts were the top-performing categories, both online and in-store, with nearly two bottles of fragrance sold every second.
Boots UK MD, UK and Ireland Anthony Hemmerdinger said: “These figures demonstrate that our ongoing transformation – from improvements to the in-store and digital customer experience to a focus on offering the very best product and service range across all price points – is working. This kind of success requires collaborative working at pace.”
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Despite the positive results, Hemmerdinger noted, “looking forward, we face heightened cost pressures in 2025 following the Autumn Budget”.
But he said that with “positive momentum behind us and a clear plan in place, the business is focused on navigating these and continuing to deliver long-term, sustainable growth”.
Meanwhile in-store, the retailer experienced a boost across its destination health and beauty stores, with flagship locations “forming particularly well” alongside its travel stores.
Beauty remained a key growth driver, with sales up 11% year-on-year. The business introduced over 20 new beauty brands, including Neom Wellbeing, Fresh, and Naturium. It also saw a rise in demand for Korean skincare, launching six new brands such as Anua and Skin1004.
In pharmacy, comparable sales were up 10.9%, primarily driven by continued strong performance in services like flu, Covid-19, and travel vaccinations.
Continuing its investment in the in-store experience, Boots refurbished over 30 stores in the quarter including Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Manchester Trafford Centre, and Birmingham Bullring.
The retailer added that its focus on value continued to resonate with customers, with Price Advantage contributing to a 3.5% increase in active Advantage Card memberships. Over 700,000 new customers joined the program in the quarter, and Boots also saw strong growth in its own-brand products, particularly in vitamins, supplements, and beauty.
Hemmerdinger continued: “This is another strong set of financial results, with retail and pharmacy sales seeing significant uplift alongside market share gains and increased customer satisfaction scores.
“We are relentlessly focused on our transformation journey and have more exciting plans ahead to further enhance the experience for our customers.
The positive set of results for the health and beauty giant come as its owner Walgreens Boots Alliance is reportedly in talks with American private equity giant Sycamore Partners on a potential takeover in a deal which could value Boots at up to $10bn (£7.8bn).
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