Boots website sees ‘biggest ever month of sales in November’

The Boots app and website reported its best ever month in November as it was boosted by a strong Black Friday, the company has said.

The health and beauty retailer said that visits to its shops had also increased during the three months to the end of November, up 7% on the same period a year earlier.

The biggest increases were for its flagship locations and travel sites, such as in train stations, the business said.

The company released scarce data about its Christmas trading, but hinted that it had been better than a year ago according to "early indications".

Sales were up 9.8% in the quarter ending 30 November 2023, as the retailer captured more market share for the 11th month in a row.

"These excellent results were in part driven by a strong Black Friday period, which saw boots.com achieve its biggest ever month of sales in November and its biggest ever day of sales on Black Friday," it said.

It singled out strong performances among its electrical beauty and skincare ranges, among others.

The company also gave patients more than one million flu vaccinations and 90,000 Covid booster jabs.

Seb James, Managing Director of Boots, said: "I am very encouraged by the way in which people are responding to the changes that we have made, especially in our digital and beauty businesses.

"It is really good to see that market share has grown for the 11th quarter in a row, showing that more customers are choosing Boots.

"This strong start to the year, together with a good Christmas, sets us up well for another good year and I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their hard work and resilience over this vital trading period."

The news comes as parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) reported that it had narrowed its operating loss from $6.2 billion a year ago to $39 million in the three months ending November 2023.

Sales increased almost 10% to $36.7 billion, WBA also reported.

Speculation has mounted for months that the parent company might be looking to sell Boots to fund its expansion into new areas in the US. There was no obvious hint of this in Thursday’s results.