Boots sales were up by 6.2% in Q4 with growth reported across all categories, especially skin care and premium beauty.
The UK health and beauty retailer said its “excellent” performance in the three months up to 31 August 2024 was “boosted by sales growth in destination health and beauty, convenience and flagship stores”.
Boots’ 14th consecutive quarter of market share growth comes as its parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance has announced mass store closures.
The retail pharmacy chain is set to shutter 1,200 Walgreens stores in the US over the next three years after its losses widened this year.
Its annual operating losses more than doubled to US$14.1bn for the year to August as it was hit heavily by an impairment charge linked to its VillageMD business.
Boots beauty sales rose more than 6% during Q4, driven in part by the chain securing more than 55 new brands this year to expand its offering.
Floral Street, Laneige, Made by Mitchell, Sculpted by Aimee, Prada Beauty and Supergoop! are among the names that have been added.
Boots’ airport stores also delivered “good growth” due to customers stocking up on last-minute holiday essentials, said the retailer.
Made by Mitchell is one of the new brands Boots has onboarded this year
Sun care sales especially grew during the summer months, with Boots own label range Soltan reporting more than 20% sales growth for the quarter.
Boots online business soared too, with transactions on the Boots App contributing to 40% of total digital sales.
This is the highest ever level of sales on the app, with the retailer reporting 7.5 million active users during this time.
Boots Q4 performance also helped deliver a 6.9% overall year-on-year sales growth for the year ending 31 August 2024.
Digital sales were particularly strong, up 18.7% year-on-year, while pharmacy sales also grew 10% due to increased demand for NHS and private healthcare services.
The popularity of the business’s Price Advantage deals also contributed to a 4.5% year-on-year increase in sign-ups to Boots Advantage Card.
“I am delighted to close the year with such a strong set of results,” said Seb James, Managing Director of Boots UK and ROI, who is leaving the business next month after six years at the helm.
“We have delivered a 14th 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 are laser focused on preparations for our peak trading period, with our Christmas gifting range landing in stores and Black Friday just around the corner.”
Anthony Hemmerdinger has been named Boots’ new Managing Director and will join the company on 4 November.
The retailer has also just launched an on-demand beauty and health service with UK food delivery app Just Eat.