Boots Opticians enjoys 'creditable' quarter results

In a set of sales results which the Boots Company called 'very creditable', the 296-practice group improved by 3.1 per cent on a like-for-like basis (discounting the performance of new practice openings during 1998). 'This has been achieved despite continuing high levels of competitive pressure,' said a Boots Opticians' spokeswoman. Although she said the extension of the Boots Advantage Card to the practice group (optician, News, November 13) was still in its early days, it had made a difference. 'It is already proving to be an effective promotional tool,' she said. Last week, when Marks & Spencer announced weak figures for trading in the run-up to Christmas, the Boots Company's performance received praise from the City, and Boots Opticians' progress was noted. Isabelle Payet, healthcare analyst for broker Sutherlands, said: 'Their trading in the final quarter of 1998 has proved to be very resilient, considering the fact they had been trading against a very strong comparative result. Boots Opticians' like-for-like sales were 16.7 per cent up in the last quarter of 1997, and a slowdown now is to be expected.' She said Boots Opticians had maintained good financial progress despite increased promotional activity by its competitors. 'Competition in the market has been increasing, so what they have achieved is really quite good,' she added. Ms Payet predicted that the Boots Company's investment in training and in computer systems for its optical branches would continue to pay off in future. Boots Opticians has 154 free-standing practices and 142 outlets 'in-store' within Boots the Chemists.