Boots Opticians posts £5m loss

A worrying performance at Boots Opticians was partly to blame for bad first-half results for Boots The Chemists.

Chief executive Richard Baker unveiled the group’s second quarter results and announced a sales downturn of 12 per cent for Boots Opticians along with losses of £5m.

A statement from Boots said that reduced consumer spending on replacement eyewear and the opticians’ integration into Boots the Chemists were to blame. It also cited ‘price deflation following the deregulation of contact lens sales’, which came into force in July, as another reason for its poor first half results.

Boots contact lens prices have dropped by 33 per cent as a result of changes in legislation for contact lens sales and increased competition from supermarkets and on line companies.