VS Series
Boots v Superdrug
Two high street chemists, one aisle apart
Boots leads on 3 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. Boots is the biggest by turnover at £7,545m, against £1,720m at Superdrug. Superdrug keeps more of every £100 it takes, £8.38 as pre-tax profit.
The year ends are close enough to compare like for like.
Accounts compared: Boots to Aug 2025 · Superdrug to Dec 2025
Who they are
Boots
Boots UK Limited · 00928555Boots is a health and beauty retailer and pharmacy business in the UK.In brief: health and beauty retailer · pharmacy, opticians and hearing care · own stores and online · click and collectFull profile →Superdrug
Superdrug Stores PLC · 00807043Superdrug is a health and beauty retailer selling cosmetics, toiletries, fragrance and health products, including a large range under its own brand.In brief: health and beauty retailer · own-brand range · in-store pharmacies · part of A.S. WatsonFull profile →The Numbers
| # | Company | Turnover | Change | Pre-tax profit | Margin | Employees | Pay per head | Turnover per head | Net assets | Bank and cash | Accounts to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BootsBoots UK Limited | £7,545m | +3.2% | £337m | 4.5% | n/d | n/d | n/d | £995m | £63m | Aug 2025 | Single company |
| 2 | SuperdrugSuperdrug Stores PLC | £1,720m | +5.2% | £144m | 8.4% | 15,037 | £24,000 | £114,000 | £471m | £235m | Dec 2025 | Single company |
Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).
Category winners
The Takeaway
- Superdrug converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £8.38 reaches pre-tax profit, against £4.47 at Boots.
- Boots is the largest on the top line, £7,545m of turnover, 4.4x Superdrug's £1,720m.
- Superdrug is growing fastest, turnover +5.2% on its own prior year.
- Superdrug is the biggest employer with 15,037 people; Superdrug pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £24,000.
- Boots has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £995m, while Superdrug holds the most cash at £235m.
Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?
Superdrug keeps the most: £8.38 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. Boots keeps the least, £4.47.
Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.
The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.
Out of every £100 of turnover
Each column is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.
Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?
By turnover the order is Boots (£7,545m), Superdrug (£1,720m).
By headcount, Superdrug leads with 15,037 employees.
The accounting periods all end within 4 months of each other. All are on the same filing basis.
Turnover on the latest filing
Who is growing fastest?
Superdrug grew fastest, turnover +5.2% on its own prior year, ahead of Boots (+3.2%).
Turnover change on each company's own prior year
Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?
Superdrug employs the most, 15,037 people.
Superdrug has the highest average staff cost, about £24,000 a head.
Superdrug brings in the most turnover per employee, about £114,000. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.
Who owns each one?
Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.
Held by Alliance Boots Holdings Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 5 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns Boots →
Superdrug Stores PLC · 00807043Held by AS Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control.
Who owns Superdrug →
What does the full ledger show?
| Measure | Boots | Superdrug |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | BOOTS UK LIMITED | SUPERDRUG STORES PLC |
| Company number | 00928555 | 00807043 |
| Incorporated | 1968 | 1964 |
| Accounts filed | 6 June 2026 | 5 July 2026 |
| Turnover, prior year | £7,313m | £1,634m |
| Pre-tax profit, prior year | £269m | £137m |
| Staff costs | £1,223m | £356m |
| Payroll share of turnover | 16.2% | 20.7% |
| Employees, prior year | n/d | 14,479 |
| Dividends paid | £59m | £75m |
| Charges outstanding | 5 | 0 |
A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.
Boots v Superdrug: common questions
Who is the biggest of Boots or Superdrug?
Boots, with turnover of £7,545m in the year to August 2025.
Which makes the most profit?
Boots: £337m pre-tax in the year to August 2025.
Which employs the most people?
Superdrug, with 15,037 employees in its latest accounts.
Boots or Superdrug: which is bigger?
Boots, with turnover of £7,545m against £1,720m at Superdrug on their latest filings. On margin, Superdrug keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →
Where do these figures come from?
Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.