Superdrug is seeking to add a further 50 pharmacies to its chain during 2000, adding to the 200 it already has.
Superdrug increased its sales by 5.5 per cent in 1999 to £842m, but operating profits increased by less than 1 per cent to £41.4m. Superdrug's parent company, Kingfisher Plc, blamed "difficult market conditions, with price deflation" for this in its annual results, published on March 22. Superdrug added 23 pharmacies during 1999 and now has 200 pharmacies across its chain of 704 stores.
Details of an e-commerce strategy, which will include heath and beauty, are to be announced in June.