Superdrug has delivered a strong Christmas period with total sales up 9.2% in the four weeks to 30 December 2023 and LFL sales up 7.1%. Its own brand products saw a 10% jump year-on-year, which the health and beauty retailer said reflected customers switching to “great quality products at an affordable price”.
Superdrug’s cosmetics range, Studio London, is the fastest growing and biggest own brand range and has contributed to it achieving 20% year-on-year category growth in cosmetics. The beauty retailer reported a 9.1% volume growth in December, as customers prepared for the party season. Superdrug now holds 40% market share of mass market cosmetics, their highest market share in 10 years.
In the peak trading weeks leading up to Christmas, three own brand gift sets were sold every second and three fragrance sets were sold every minute.
However, traditional gifting wasn’t the only winner, with oral electricals proving a popular gift choice. The category hero was the Superdrug ProCare Water Flosser, which landed on shelves in quarter three and went on to sell more than three times the number of units than its branded counterpart had sold all year. The flosser also sold-out online and in-store numerous times during the Black Friday sales period.
Furthermore, Superdrug has invested in the expansion of Beauty Studio services, with December seeing the launch of the latest studio in Jersey. December also marked the milestone of the 500th piercing store, with piercing continuing to prove the most popular service, up 54% in December vs 2022. Beauty Studio also recorded one of its biggest sales months in December, with sales up 20% vs the same period last year.
The golden quarter saw online app sales up 74% year-on-year and 127,000 new registrations for the Health & Beautycard, with total membership reaching 18.1 million thanks to the launch of VIP Rewards, which sees Health & Beautycard members being rewarded for spend on top of Superdrug’s already great everyday offers.
Peter Macnab, Superdrug CEO, said: “We are exceptionally pleased to be reporting strong Christmas results and appreciate our customers continued support. 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 in to 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. I’d like to thank my colleagues for all of their hard work in bringing such a fantastic and competitive offering to shoppers and for their contribution to these results.”
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