Following the release of Boot’s figures for the 52 weeks ending 31 August 2025; Charlotte Chilcott, retail analyst at GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform, offers her view: “Boots has maintained steady growth in FY2024/25, with total revenue increasing 3.2% to £7,545m in its first results post-acquisition (August 2025), although this marks a step down from the 3.7% growth recorded in the previous year. Despite this, pre-tax profits rose 25% to £337m driven by strong demand in beauty and healthcare services, and the optimisation of the pharmacy portfolio. In order to sustain growth in a highly competitive health & beauty market, Boots must leverage consumer trust to gain share from marketplaces and social commerce platforms, and continue to expand its premium beauty offerings to compete with specialist rivals.
“Retail sales drove total revenue growth, rising 5.8% on a comparable basis and underpinned by continued momentum in beauty. Boots’ ability to react quickly to social media-led trends, such as surging demand for Korean skincare, has strengthened its relevance with younger shoppers, without compromising its appeal as a trusted destination for older customers who rely on it for pharmacy, wellness and everyday essentials. The launch of a Fragrance Only store in London in October 2025 has further boosted the retailer’s credentials in premium fragrance and gifting, strengthening its ability to compete with the more experiential propositions of beauty specialists such as Space NK and Sephora.
“Comparable pharmacy sales increased 5.0% in FY2024/25, supported by increased demand for healthcare services such as Pharmacy First and Boots Online Doctor. Growth here will have been aided by Boots’ weight loss treatment service which offers private prescriptions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs including Wegovy and Mounjaro. With uptake of weight loss drugs expected to widen, as newer pill-based GLP-1 formats improve accessibility and convenience, Boots has to opportunity to scale this offer further and position pharmacy services as a larger driver of growth. Despite this positive performance, Boots’ new owners should continue shuttering unprofitable pharmacy branches, prioritising locations where prescription volumes and NHS Advanced Services uptake are strongest.
“Boots’ online platform continues to impress, with digital sales growing 18.3% in FY2024/25. With the online health & beauty market forecast to grow 10.8% in 2025, this indicates that Boots is gaining share in the online channel, supported by improvements to its website, such as a “trending on social” page spotlighting viral health & wellness products. These improvements also allow Boots to capitalise on its reputation for product authenticity, which is especially appealing to shoppers given the growing prevalence of counterfeit health & beauty products sold on third-party marketplaces and social commerce platforms.”
