Boots well on the road to recovery in third quarter

Boots Group's product strategy and focus on availability encouraged shoppers in the final three months of last year. The retailer's total sales increased by 4.2 per cent, while like-for-likes rose 2.6 per cent, during the third quarter ending December 31.

Boots said the categories that had the greatest impact on sales were dispensing, seasonal merchandise, baby products, and cosmetics and fragrance.

Measured footfall for the quarter was up 2 per cent, although margins remained level, partly because of price deflation - reducing the average transaction value by 0.4 per cent.

Boots Group chief executive officer Richard Baker said: 'Boots the Chemists traded successfully during the quarter by focusing on giving customers good products, excellent value and better availability. Although there remains much to do on our change programme and consumer spending across the high street is subdued, we are progressing well in making Boots more modern, competitive and efficient.'