Superdrug - the pharmacy chain with a store in King's Walk, Gloucester - has seen its profits plunge despite being an 'essential' retailer.

The national store - with other Gloucestershire branches at High Street, Cheltenham, High Street, Stroud, and Cricklade Street, Cirencester - saw its full year pre-tax profits for 2020 fall by 80% to just £18.8 million, even though it remained open as a so-called 'essential retailer' during the Covid lockdowns.

Sales for the full year were down 15% to £1.1 billion. There was, however, a 106% growth in online orders, although the beauty products business was badly affected. More than 100,000 people were vaccinated in its stores in the first half of the current fiscal year.

Peter Macnab, chief executive, said: "2020 was an unprecedented and tough year for many high street retailers and of course we see the severe impact of the pandemic reflected in annual results across the high street.

"As an essential retailer, the most important thing is that our 788 stores were able to stay open to serve and support our colleagues, customers and communities through the pandemic."

McNab added: "To weather the storm and safeguard the future of the business, we have taken several proactive steps to ensure we are able to emerge strong from the pandemic.

"At a time when accessible retail has never been more important, the strength of our healthcare offering, coupled with our up-to-the minute beauty business, means that we are confident we remain the number one choice for our customers."

Superdrug's 198 in-store pharmacies provided medicines throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns and the Online Doctor Service, which offers more than 40 online healthcare services to its 1.6 million patients, meant customers could order treatment direct to their homes.

McNab said: "Of course on the Beauty side of the business the decline in high street footfall, multiple lockdowns and ongoing social distancing measures has had a significant impact on 2020 revenue and continues to restrict sales recovery in 2021.

"Under such challenging circumstances it's important to put customers at the heart of our business and therefore we developed and launched over 700 new Own Brand ranges in 2020, strengthening our 'Only At' Superdrug offering."