As the world waits for the answer on what Walgreens will do with its U.K.-based Boots unit, the company rode a spike in COVID-19 tests and booster shots to higher-than-expected earnings in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, according to a company press release Thursday (March 31).
Walgreens doled out 11.8 million COVID-19 vaccine shots and 6.6 million tests in the three-month period that ended Feb. 28, per the press release, and the chain has done 12 million COVID boosters so far and has led the way in pediatric vaccinations across the pharmacy channel.
Walgreens also debuted the Walgreens COVID-19 Index to track the spread of the omicron variant and other coronavirus strains by state.
The company recorded its highest comparable sales growth in more than 20 years, with a 14.7% uptick year over year in Q2, highlighted by a 38% uptick in digital sales after 78% growth in that area in fiscal 2021. Walgreens saw 3.9 million same-day pickup orders in the second quarter of fiscal 2022.
MyWalgreens memberships reached 96.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, a growth of 10.9 million people since Q4 of fiscal 2021, and Walgreens opened three automated micro-fulfillment centers in the quarter, with plans to open 22 centers by the end of fiscal 2024.
The partnership between Walgreens and VillageMD has growth to 102 co-located clinics across the U.S., with plans to have more than 200 open by the end of the calendar year, including in Boston; Jacksonville, Florida; Tucson, Arizona; Denver; and San Antonio, Texas.
“Second quarter results demonstrated broad-based execution, driving strong comparable sales and robust earnings growth,” Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer said in the company press release. “We continue to make important strides along our strategic priorities, building a consumer-centric, technology-enabled healthcare enterprise at the center of local communities.
“VillageMD and Shields are delivering tremendous pro forma sales growth compared to their year-ago standalone results, and our Walgreens Health segment is on track toward long-term targets,” she said. “The strategic review of our Boots business is progressing, and our transformational actions are accelerating sustainable value creation.”
Related: Walgreens Boots Alliance Leverages Robots for Pharmaceutical Fulfillment
Earlier this week, CNBC reported that Walgreens Boots Alliance is using robots to fill orders at its micro-fulfillment centers across the U.S.
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