Superdrug boasts 'strong' Christmas trading as own-brand sales rise
Superdrug has reported a 9.2% increase in sales for the four weeks to 30 December 2023, driven by own-brand, gifting and member-only deals.
The health and beauty retailer said own-brand sales continued to rise, up 10% in December against the same period in 2022.
As part of this, Studio London was named as Superdrug's fastest growing and biggest own-band range, achieving 9.1% volume growth as customers prepared for the party season.
As expected, gift sets were also popular during the four weeks. The retailer sold three own brand gift sets every second and three fragrance gift sets every minute within the peak trading period.
However, it said traditional gifting wasn’t the only winner. Oral care also "flew off the shelves", proving that oral electricals remain a popular gift choice amongst its customers.
The category hero was Superdrug's ProCare Water Flosser, which landed on shelves in Q3 and went on to sell more than three times the number of units than its branded counterpart had sold all year.
Overall growth was also driven by app sales, up 74% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Superdrug reported 127,000 new registrations for its Health & Beautycard, with total membership reaching 18.1 million thanks to the launch of VIP Rewards in October 2023.
Peter Macnab, CEO of Superdrug, said: "We are exceptionally pleased to be reporting strong Christmas results.
"We understand the pressures customers are currently facing and are committed to supporting them and offering the very best in accessible health and beauty.
"The strong sales growth in own-brand really demonstrates that customers are seeking quality products from a brand that they can trust, at an affordable price.
"Our continued investment into expanding the store estate and digital services, as well as in innovation, remain imperative and has helped contribute to an increase in sales throughout the December period."
Earlier this month, Superdrug permanently reduced the price of over 150 own-brand items by up to 50% as part of its ongoing commitment to support shoppers through the cost-of-living crisis.
The price reduction spans a range of everyday products, from washing and bathing accessories to makeup and baby toiletries, across the health and beauty retailer's own-brand lines.
It strengthens Superdrug's mission to "make everyday more affordable for shoppers", having previously frozen the prices of over 5,000 items across it’s stores and online for limited periods in recent years.
