Boots saw profits shoot up last year, as beauty sales soared and more shoppers visited stores.
Pre-tax profits rose more than 42% at the health and beauty retailer to £237.6m for the year to 31 August, largely due to higher profit margins, new filings for three UK subsidiaries at Companies House reported.
Sales grew from £7.7bn to £8.3bn for the period, which it attributed to strong retail revenues from its brands including Soap & Glory, Liz Earle and Fenty Beauty.
The chain paid £107m in dividends between subsidiaries and paid out at least £38m on restructuring costs, according to the documents, as it attempts to cut stores from around 2,200 to 1,900.
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The strong profit growth comes as Boots’ owner ramped u efforts to find a buyer for the retailer.
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Walgreens Boots Alliance is working with consultants to initiate talks with interested parties.
The firm is also exploring listing Boots on the London stock market.
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