Boots Shines in Q1: Record-Breaking Black Friday and Increasing Demand for Luxury Hair Care

Boots has reported a remarkable first quarter of the financial year with an impressive 9.8% increase in retail sales, driven by a record-breaking Black Friday and an escalating demand for luxury hair care. Through the launch of its professional hair care category on Boots.com, sales in the luxury hair care sector elevated by 10%.

Top Performing Categories
Electrical beauty, skin care, premium beauty and No7 sunglasses were the top performing categories during the notorious shopping holiday. With a bottle sold every second, fragrances also flourished during Black Friday week. Additionally, 11.4% growth was also witnessed in beauty sales over the quarter including a 13% surge in sales of the retailer’s own-brand No7 due to new launches like the Derm Solutions cosmeceutical range.

Boots.com Sales & Other Achievements
Boots.com posted a 17.5% year-on-year growth in sales, accounting for 19.2% of total sales for the quarter. There are currently 16.3 million registered Boots Advantage Card members and 7.2 million mobile app users accessing the platform. Furthermore, a 7% footfall increase was recorded in-store over the three month period and market share growth for the eleventh consecutive quarter.

Looking Ahead: Q2 Christmas Performance
TheGroup Managing Director, Seb James, expressed optimism in the company’s Q2 performance and noted that “a good Christmas” sales period will set the retailer up for another great financial year. In addition, parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a $39 million operating loss, compared to $6.2 billion loss from the year before, and a 9.9% sales increase to $36.7 billion.

Key Takeaways
• Boots has reported a 9.8% increase in retail sales in the first quarter of the financial year
• Sales in electrical beauty, skin care, premium beauty and No7 rose during Black Friday
• The retailer’s own-brand No7 sales increased 13%, driven by new launches like its cosmeceutical range
• Boots.com sales increased 17.5% year-on-year and 19.2% of total sales for the quarter
• There are 16.3 million Boots Advantage Card members and 7.2 million mobile app users
• Parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a 9.9% sales increase to $36.7 billion