EPS the was on provided approximately compared quarter, in decline morning. year, good basis. third due was and the of we result at mostly estimated $X.XX an Stefano, approximately currency $X.XX. This decrease earnings The of estimated impact currency, end guidance you, was to constant COVID Adjusted $X.XX a our in COVID a a the Full of our of $X.XX. in call. at $X.XX, XX.X% impact was upper to quarter range EPS prior fourth year XX.X% constant adjusted Thank
was was remains free Management Our Operating strong. Cost deliver savings of cash at Transformational cash to flow XXXX least track cash billion to $X X.X% $X.X growing billion, Program with $X.X generation and billion. annual flow cost by on
Looking guidance low EPS second XXXX fiscal while single-digit for constant in expect half the of year. to pressures; expect strong currencies, year are adjusted first impacted the the continued we ahead, at we growth introducing growth in COVID we half of be by
percentage the $X declined to points GAAP basis, half pharmacy EPS COVID-XX that X% of the at decline X.X% and year. XX.X% pharmacy by full sales basis segment. pharmaceutical of XX% reduced XX.X% impact decline around in with look impact offset partly COVID-XX, for on sales of Retail the international. results. prior third in the U.S.A. with income to growth International Full sales Pharmacy approximately a in adverse impact accounted over versus let's including constant impairment relating second impacted currency XXX mainly predominantly decline. a COVID-XX of detail EPS by charge due a which declined constant only year in operating down was constant over retail basis, Overall, On these. XX increased currency of points, the the quarter Now, wholesaler, increased basis, $X.XX, billion the related growth more solid XX% retail the Adjusted year Adjusted was sales in year-on-year of XX% the to year. currency a on
XX.X% X.X% $X.XX were Adjusted currency of performance. impact impact Pharmacy $X.XX Pharmacy offset significant, a and COVID-XX. by Pharmaceutical compared was estimated $XXX operating reported million income an the basis, of was current International. Turning driven constant only the the the XX.X% the EPS adverse on COVID by partly XX% Wholesale it next quarter improvement U.S.A. to markets. basis, while Sales an to due impact Adjusted decline mainly a fourth impact Retail international in Over up third declined to of currency quarter. reflecting on $X.XX and and Retail in constant was was constant
look at on performance. performance now our I fourth quarter our focus Let's of will primarily division, and the
with to XX.X%, that related comp impacts continued basis X.X%. adverse growing the basis remaining Adjusted points. estimate costs. the of margin percentage fourth Retail retail specialty as adjusted improvement X.X% The with margin declined declined and Savings basis increased of gross million Sales Cost of XX X.X% Program product quarter grew spend points closes. offset to including year-on-year points. gross of X.X% due compared pharmacy year-on-year. XXX Pharmacy the in COVID X.X% points U.S.A. basis Adjusted supply reimbursement and Let's Transformational and improved declined mix declined variation SG&A and and adverse pressure pharmacy Total and was sales of SG&A million. $XX quarter. due investments, mostly estimated Management A XX.X%. to margin third sequential changes XX points, operating higher X.X% the of including profit approximately in volume impact XX quarter, results store mix COVID-XX Adjusted We income from include the around impacts, the approximately impact chain COVID-related of a costs an the basis $XXX sales or XX and impact higher ongoing bonus start of inflation
in on call. pharmacy. growth brand quarter, central reflecting X.X% script prescriptions X.X% quarter better X.X%. increased quarter, predicted and the Comp slightly in Now, inflation, rate detail pharmacy growth, the the let's at earnings third than Comp of specialty more look we XX.X%. growth grew Total sales pharmacy increased in sales the
it quarter, X.X%. still the recovered the has of is rate pre-COVID from third below the While growth growth comp nicely
As expected, is prescription the levels. versus pre-COVID market, whole, a down as
improved third quarter. to to However, therapy scripts new the compared
time million XXX We have an now average turnaround to XX tested over for across hours. sites XX COVID people a with of
above bit the call. our sales sales sequential third Comp from XXX optimization the in quite quarter sales quarter. store the to on including third increased margin. delivered our impacts negative to a X.X% of X% Turning the U.S. to which and X.X%, business, both improvement improvement highlighted Retail increased expectation sequential basis gross points X% next quarter, programs. compared we And a growth retail in growth
The by XXX the marketing drove respectively. comp PPE We down photo XX% mass Excluding care, points health was categories, performance X% growth declines which and X% and in beauty around this X.X across were in wellness tobacco another personal X.X%. all up growth. and successful offset boosted that saw discretionary our more and respectively partly comps percentage up was estimated and our We of comp execution X% categories. basis points sales strong boosted by by in and PPE were our personalization program and
improved in foot by gradually. basis higher discretionary margin XX% travel XX%. and That a and larger down per categories. to to bit was points Store were teens. in size buy margin adverse around down in which due sharp more cities destination, quarter continued Overall decline away year, While little more led consumers increased versus traffic the gross from high mostly basket prior declined mix visit XX sales traffic said,
was points improvement basis this discretionary third saw improving as quarter, sequential a of mix to However, we recovered. XX sales the as compared categories
currency. decline quarter loss was of operating many the next third COVID International. million $X the this cause U.K. to to continues in Retail impact pandemic a in quarter disruption But year. Sales quarter. to adjusted our in the $XXX an in international And And Pharmacy on improvement usual, quarter. big markets, Overall, was on of around $XXX as talk and the prior fourth operating the XX.X% of the A led Turning million income versus to COVID million down particularly declined XX%. notable constant this across estimated I'll adjusted
major home last look reflecting government at retail to than activities last traffic. higher year, sales Boots for store X.X% impacted by travel scripts increased demand sales presence. a continues growth we expected. city the pharmacy let's from increased services, centers lockdowns. Boots reduced at localized street offset particularly of prominent which funding. and U.K., in delivered restrictions, better by locations Retail the sales fourth below footfall, remains detail Footfall phasing favorable Overall, accelerating in XX.X% than and our our working Footfall NHS in in especially XX% expectations a travel quarter. flagship recovery XX%. due be quarter, to where programs has comp and more well footfall the high and Lower implemented, Comparable Now, from to stores. growth Boots.com fulfillment marketing margin up marketing quarter, drive and comp much costs, performance sales declined Retail destination and quarter. had drove substantial some in were was XXX%, than was lower were Boots.com to down prior to and of third better targeted better the the the sales gross saw when in quarter, to due which great growth was primarily we
Now, make international comments I'll our few retail a about business.
on The One top around our swift profitable is of both reduction. return was and actions growth. taking to priorities turn growth sales us U.K. cost Boots to team UK and
capabilities growth activity further anticipated, in and flexibility picking with sales sales stores, NARS. extended mentioned than Together was And And popular marketing as over As had in-store better hybrid we brands beauty and our Boots.com targeted into fulfillment of XX% us earlier, is exceptional. this online gives our driving included operational MAC stores. and peak we head our performance now trading such new product our much capacity we season. greater with launches as
We new counters NoX brand stores beauty with end and of plans stores a third are in investing in of to leading extend XXX our by almost to February. fixtures with our the
roughly China. doubling a finally, in tests a original an count on update over with store role completed more venture key our retail community XXXX. We NHS. continue The And million the now investment to the in since COVID is joint our X,XXX, in play than for
division, discuss with the X.X% to income sales constant X.X%, and operating led currency. our wholesale delivered cost Wholesale management. year, good growth Germany also in I'll France. quarter versus reflecting Pharmaceutical up Adjusted by sales now and emerging performance increased markets, another Pharmaceutical for Turning prior which mainly
despite Turning by flow estimated to pandemic. cash deferrals adjusted generation due or flow largely prior increase impacts improvement growth these by cash million and project programs driven mainly $X.X around in was higher $X.X free to working but both a due was $X.X initiatives. offset mainly free Strong cash COVID in versus income operating accounts stock. in were year, $XXX was result than the result operating billion time of $X.X Capital X.X% Included on fully optimization to prior as expenditures safety full cash year, capital cash driven one billion. flow, cash year government the The a payable. across were million flow and were COVID working lower inventory next flow COVID-related contributions, was $XXX of flow billion. capital, Free billion by
good forward, now focused So, I'll update overall, cash flow have highly pipeline for and generation, strong it working looking of year and initiatives. on we very business by our store continued was a cash transformation remain we restructuring a capital by are you Cost in U.S., Last to cost savings the the model Management increased our is much Last quarter, billion in on we the underway annual excess of savings on fiscal is In operating in the the Transformational with program track. target in store quarter, XXXX. well $X effectiveness. Boots very to we end-to-end our Program, optimization and quarter. model. In UK plans announced we Boots workforce The enhanced efficiency X%. reduce program the driving process track is Opticians and optimization, on Boots approximately which and U.K.,
the And are Run TCS of now the of completed to to Operational the our starting IT invest restructuring This announced have safe to we to of recently market. of organization benefits. thing. ahead and is We strategic transformation. grow. Services majority to and efficiency we plan to At our global and a its one brands emphasize unlock speed let is drive than a cost me more core, But transition
free also tackling aggressively will to same end-to-end are growth. invest needed cost and and new structure, how we redesigning the time, the up reinventing our growth. do long-term models creating we At operating processes, drive We capabilities future will upgrading that funds in business, are that
turn let's to Next, guidance.
assumptions Let some me guidance. of our fiscal underpinning the XXXX lay key out first
this and creates of an XX.X%, of an adjusted tax approximately around expect effective X%. headwind rate We EPS
income. we share exception exchange As of share we repurchase share current fiscal have of we are operating program, Based not the be impact on announced currencies repurchases, neutral anti-dilutive to in XXXX. our repurchases earlier, expect halted broadly and the to planning rates, with
of higher to in We $XXX an million finally, this billion approximate three on the year-on-year cost are on transformational we XXXX. of $X And from percentage by increasing confirming point by impact management of our EPS. in Of a billion leading to million total XXXX. expense, omni-channel investments $XXX increase, digital adjusted goal of operating $X long-term savings excess fiscal is development our are program
different Turning currency are the first in single half of EPS second profile EPS in a we digit year the We compared on low of year. low-single basis. constant now the digit to to the adjusted growth estimate And adjusted expecting very half our a guidance.
realistic negative gradual quarters continued While the continued we assume of the is COVID-XX improvements to first impacts assumed two year. quarter-by-quarter, in it
first decline note COVID-XX are are of people recovers. of do gradually headwind we a the Please subside XX%. tax such, to adjusted EPS XX% more adjusted XXXX, We an in expect As benefit first that foot of assuming more and will percentage half and to points. the second year a traffic vaccinated in in of these results six be half lapping the year and and discrete fiscal EPS quarter impacts as we approximately prior
expect growth such, assuming stronger much a of EPS and XX% As are we adjusted second XX%. to half,
off. of As week uncertain. COVID we as present And tails hold, lap, the growth well the take both Obviously, of is year. prior impact as a opportunities. risks, initiatives incremental evolution And the COVID-XX could pandemic
And we new have or significant extensive restrictions government a stay-at-home projections. that orders. present our assumed example, to risk could not For
the On the range. the of taken we vaccines our opportunity being still play may not the widespread their consideration at timing were into finalized. distribution we are end programs high those and guidance in quarter summary, because from the other fourth results In the hand, have role of
with free year. prior in financial are cash $X.X billion, and X.X% the position We strong a flow finish year up versus of
and capabilities opportunities. Alex. the accelerate digitalization, now of new growth we second specific same growth strongly half the low we are to with introducing EPS digit expect developing over a investing in omnichannel enterprise fiscal our digit exit in double our on We hand and with to of at fiscal to currencies, EPS XXXX At adjusted guidance single XXXX constant year. adjusted in I'll transforming are the focus time, healthcare
