Origins and expansion ,
West Yorkshire (2012) , London (2016) In 1964, Superdrug was incorporated under the name Leading Supermarkets Limited by the Goldstein brothers in London, both of whom had experience working in the groceries retail industry. Later that year the business adopted the present name. The first Superdrug shop opened in
Putney, London on 26 April 1966. 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.
Acquisition Facing increasing pressure from supermarkets and new discount chains, and following Kingfisher's failed merger attempt with
Asda (which resulted in
Walmart acquiring the latter chain), in July 2001, Superdrug was sold to
Kruidvat, a chemist operator from continental Europe, to allow Kingfisher to focus on its
DIY and
Comet chains. It was restructured as a public limited company on 24 July, becoming Superdrug Stores plc, and Kruidvat was subsequently sold to
A.S. Watson, the retail and manufacturing business of the
Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, formally
Hutchison Whampoa, in November 2002. 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.
Since 2010 In February 2010, Superdrug became a
BUAV approved retailer, joining several other high street chains in pledging its own brand products will be free from animal testing. All Superdrug own label products carry the leaping bunny cruelty free logo. This does not, however, cover products made by other brands that are sold in the shop. 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. 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. ==Products==