WBA Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc

By Micah Maidenberg 

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. said its overseas business struggled again in its latest quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic cut into customer traffic in the U.K.

The drugstore chain on Thursday said retail sales at its Boots U.K. unit fell more than 29% on a comparable basis, with the coronavirus especially reducing consumer visits at the stores on major shopping streets, in train stations and in airports.

The Boots U.K. business has emerged as a source of concern for investors and a challenge for the Deerfield, Ill., company, which is primarily tied to the U.S. market. In July, Walgreens said it would cut about 4,000 jobs in the U.K. and recorded $2 billion in impairment charges tied to the Boots business.

Walgreens said sales in its retail-pharmacy unit in the U.S. totaled $27 billion in the latest quarter, up 3.6%. Filled prescriptions increased 3.6% on a comparable basis and demand for health, personal-care and personal-protective products rose. Those gains were partially offset by weaker sales for beauty items, according to the company.

Overall, sales for its fiscal-fourth quarter that ended Aug. 31 rose to $34.75 billion from $33.95 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet predicted $34.37 billion for the latest period.

Walgreens said profit fell to $373 million, or 43 cents a share, from $677 million, or 75 cents a share, the year earlier. After adjustments, the company reported earnings of $1.02 cents a share, better than expectations from analysts.

Shares rose 2.1% in premarket trading.

The company said it believes the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to hamper financial results during the first half of its new fiscal year, but it anticipates better conditions after that, with adjusted-profit growth picking up in the second half.

"The company anticipates a gradual reduction in Covid-19 impacts," it said.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 15, 2020 08:21 ET (12:21 GMT)

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Mar 2024 até Abr 2024

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Abr 2023 até Abr 2024