Boots ramps up price focus amid own brand extension

Boots is expanding its own label essentials range, extending its Price Lock promise and offering up to 50% off its most popular brands in a bid to engage customers struggling with the cost crisis.

Describing this as its “biggest ever bundle of savings”, the retailer is offering up to 50% off brands such as Soap & Glory, Dove and Maybelline, after using customer research data to identify its most popular brands.

The company is extending its ‘Boots Everyday’ own brand essentials range to include 60 more product lines. Products new to the range, which is priced between 50p and £2.50, include vitamins, skincare and cotton pads. According to the retailer, sales are up 35% since the Everyday range launched in September 2022.

In addition, Boots has updated its Price Lock promise initiative to include more essential items in partnership with charity The Hygiene Bank. The pledge means prices across the 400 lines which fall under the promise will be frozen until at least April.

Boots Christmas campaign helps drive ‘strong’ festive period

The retailer also claims to be offering Advantage Card holders “deeper discounts”, including savings of up to a third across a wider selection of brands. Boots estimates loyalty customers shopping Price Advantage discounts have saved £25m over the past 12 months.

Amid this current price focus, Boots says it is offering more than 1,300 promotions and deals each month, including the launch in January of the ‘save up to half price on the brands you love’ promotion. According to the retailer, its £10 Tuesday flash sale has become a “cult favourite” among customers, while new for January the ‘Freebie Friday’ promotion offers buy one, get one free on selected brands.

This renewed price focus comes off the back of a successful festive season for Boots. The retailer enjoyed its biggest day for digital sales on Black Friday, during a strong festive period driven in part by promotions and positive consumer response to its Christmas campaign.

Early indications suggest Boots notched up comparable Christmas sales growth of around 15%, with its website becoming one of the UK’s top 10 most-visited retail sites during Black Friday 2022. Boots.com accounted for 18% of total sales in the quarter to 30 November, compared to 9% pre-pandemic.

In November, almost a quarter (23%) of sales were on the website, boosted by promotions such as Black Friday.