Many retailers are announcing their performance figures at the moment, with these statistics representing how well they were faring in the months prior to the disruption caused by coronavirus. Boots is the latest firm to reveal a significant uptick in the number of orders placed via safe shopping online in the last quarter while also confirming that bricks and mortar spending was in decline.

The 23 per cent boost to its e-commerce sales is especially impressive given that it occurred before COVID-19 was even a significant threat to retail in the UK, while the 1.2 per cent drop in store spending is further evidence that consumers were already moving away from focusing on physical retail outlets in large numbers.

Boots has managed to achieve a serious rise in online activity amongst its customers in part because it has been making real efforts to digitise its operations and encourage people to order online. It has also factored in services such as remotely accessible medical consultations as well as improved pharmacy features, all of which contributed to the spike in e-commerce sales.

A spokesperson for the company said that it was not yet possible to pass comment on the extent to which the current pandemic situation will have impacted Boots. It is thought that the rise in the need for pharmaceutical services will bolster its performance, although the fact that fewer people are visiting physical stores will no doubt cause even more of a swing to its e-commerce site.

Consumer spending is set to drop due to the coronavirus-related restrictions on movement and the store closures that have also been mandated, although since the supplies that Boots provides are deemed essential its outlets are still open, and it could stave off the worst effects of the pandemic.