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Superdrug Stores plc (trading as Superdrug) is a health and beauty retailer in the United Kingdom, and the second largest behind Boots UK. The company is owned by AS Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Limited which is part of the A.S. Watson Group. It was acquired as part of the buyout of Kruidvat BV in October 2002. The A.S Watson Group is itself part of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings.
Superdrug trades from nearly nine hundred shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland, and also serves Denmark, Finland and Sweden online. The company employs over 14,000. Besides offering health and beauty products online and in shops, there are pharmacies with consultation rooms in over 220 shops, and a further 19 contain nurse clinics. It maintains links with sister companies also owned by A.S. Watson Group: Savers and The Perfume Shop.
By 1968, there were three shops trading in Putney, Croydon and Streatham. In the same year Superdrug acquired its first distribution centre, in Wimbledon. The chain grew rapidly, and expanded to a chain of forty shops by the beginning of the 1970s. In 1971, The Rite Aid Corporation, an American chemist chain, acquired 49% of the business.
By 1981, there were three hundred Superdrug shops in the United Kingdom, and they opened their 11,148 m2 (120,000 ft2) distribution centre and office complex at Beddington Lane near Croydon, Superdrug's head office is still based in Croydon having recently moved to a more central location. This centre closed in July 2007, and the southern distribution operation moved to Dunstable, with the head office moving to new offices in central Croydon in 2017. The northern distribution operates from South Elmsall, Pontefract, West Yorkshire.
In 1983, the business was floated on London's Unlisted Securities Market.
In March 1987, Superdrug was sold to Woolworth Holdings (now known as Kingfisher plc) for £57 million. The sale allowed accelerated growth of the brand through utilisation of Kingfisher's surplus high street property portfolio and substantial financial assets.
In January 1988, Superdrug acquired Tip-Top, a discount chemist chain which had a large presence in the north of England and Scotland, and Share Drug Stores plc, a southern-based chain. These acquisitions and an aggressive expansion programme saw the chain grow to six hundred outlets throughout the United Kingdom.
Superdrug continued to grow over the next eight years, increasing profitability and market share. The Goldstein brothers would retire from the company by 1990, shortly after its 25th anniversary In 1989, with Alan Smith heading up day-to-day operations shortly thereafter.
In 1995, the company began a rebranding programme, which saw it leave behind its discount heritage and move upmarket, with a new corporate identity (including the introduction of a new star symbol as its logo) – under the banner "the real beauty is the price" – and new larger shops in prime retail locations.
Superdrug decided to relocate their head office in 2017, having spent more than 40 years at Beddington Lane. The company relocated to a more central location in Croydon having declared their love for the town, securing their future in the town, with a bigger and more modern head office to develop the future of the business.
A.S. Watson is also the parent company of Savers, the United Kingdom's number three chemist chain. Subsequently, several of Superdrug's smaller shops were converted into Savers, and approximately three hundred Savers shops were converted into branches of Superdrug. In 2004, during the company's 40th anniversary, the current logo was introduced, retaining the star motif from the previous logo, but modernising it with the addition of a new cursive wordmark. Signage was also changed with the introduction of the new logo, with stores being branded as "Superdrug HealthBeauty", and the website gaining the tagline "Health & Beauty from A.S. Watson", to signify its new ownership.
In April 2006, Superdrug entered the Irish market, and in Britain began rolling out its "next generation" shops, the first of which opened in Uxbridge. These focused on cosmetics and fragrance above all else and used plasma screens throughout the shop. Superdrug announced their intention to create 150 more next generation shops in 2008. Since arriving in Ireland, the brand is now also represented in Douglas on the Isle of Man and St Helier on Jersey.
During 2010, Superdrug went into partnership with sister company The Perfume Shop by trialling shop-in-shop concessions. The partnership was tried in eleven shops of Superdrug, including; Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Bury, Glasgow, Westfield London and Kensington High Street. In January 2018, Superdrug were recognised by the Institute of Customer Service, placing fourth in the United Kingdom for Customer Satisfaction (UKCSI), with Yorkshire Bank in third, First Direct second, and Amazon first.
In September 2015, Superdrug announced the launch of a new app for customers to track their Superdrug Loyalty Points. This app eventually became the Superdrug Shopping App, which allows customers to order retail items from Superdrug branches online.
In May 2017, Superdrug relaunched their own brand "B. Makeup", and in September 2017 made history when they announced British model Georgie Aldous as their first male model in a make-up campaign.
On 22 March 2018, Superdrug opened their first vegan only pop-up shop at Shoreditch’s Boxpark. Superdrug said it was in response to increased demand for plant-based and cruelty-free beauty products. The shop showcases Superdrug's own brand beauty and cosmetic products, and also exclusive branded products that are friendly to vegans.
In August 2018, Superdrug was the subject of a blackmail attempt using data obtained from its website via credential stuffing.
Superdrug lost a court case in December 2019 resulting from words in an email issued by the company's buyer, "Please go ahead with the below", referring to supplier Athena Brand's proposals to supply a minimum quantity of Nature's Alchemist products. The words were interpreted as creating a contract between the two parties, and by inference appeared to mean that the buyer had authority to enter into such a contract.High Court (Commercial Court), Athena Brands Ltd v Superdrug Stores Plc, EWHC 3503 (Comm), London Circuit Commercial Court, published 18 December 2019, accessed 4 March 2021
In April 2020, it was announced that Superdrug was rolling out a new Pharmacy app to its stores across the UK, in partnership with Healthera. The app allows Superdrug patients to order prescriptions and book services online.
Since 2021, the company sponsors the UK-wide medicine packet recycling programme under which used medicine blister packets can be handed in at 195 Superdrug branches (those with in-store pharmacies), for processing by TerraCycle.
In February 2013, Superdrug ventured into the premium skincare market, by launching a new and exclusive brand called “B”. The brand is cruelty free and vegan. It offers both skincare and make up, and was launched during January to February 2013, accompanied by a multimillion-pound advertising campaign including television advertising, magazine promotion, blogger reviews and a pop up tour around the United Kingdom's largest shopping centres.
In December 2007, Superdrug withdrew a women's punch bag following complaints from anti domestic violence campaigners. The man-shaped product encouraged women to insert a photo of a male in the punch bag's face and had an arrow pointing at the groin stating "kick him here". The ManKind Initiative, a domestic violence charity, said it was disgraceful that a national retailer like Superdrug should be openly selling products encouraging domestic violence against men. Following the complaints, the retailer withdrew the product and promised to donate any profits from sales of the item to the charity.
Superdrug became the first high street retailer in the United Kingdom to offer chickenpox vaccination in 58 of its shops, at a cost of £65 per dose, two doses being required, in July 2017.
On 7 February 2013, Superdrug launched a new marketing and advertising campaign, "That Superdrug Feeling", featuring staff from their shops.
In 2015, Superdrug adapted their loyalty card in order to appeal to more of a mass market, renaming it Health and Beautycard. The concept of the card containing a mirror remained but it was redesigned to give a more mature look and feel. The card can be used physically or digitally via the Superdrug mobile app, available on AppStore and Google play.
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