Health and beauty chain Boots has pledged to "reinvigorate" its core retail business with the refurbishment of 300 stores this year.

Six different store formats will be introduced as part of a continuing four-year improvement programme aimed at reviving sluggish sales.

The company's Boots the Chemist business, which has about 1,400 shops in the UK, has increasingly come under pressure from supermarket rivals.

Boots said it had successfully defended its market share but now wanted to achieve growth through new products and improved stores.

Chief executive Steve Russell said: "The changes we are making and the investment we plan are establishing the platform for profitable long-term top-line growth.

"The immediate priority is for Boots stores to drive sales growth by upgrading the environment, creating more of our own brands and raising levels of customer service."

Boots has been testing the new store formats in the Swindon and Oxford area and said it had been encouraged sufficiently to go ahead with the scheme.

At least 170 of the 300 stores will be in the London area and developments are likely to include enhanced cosmetics areas and new store frontages.

Nottingham-based Boots expects to spend about £170m on updating its store portfolio in this year.

The developments come as the company reported a 21 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to £595.8m. Turnover increased by two per cent to £5.33bn.

The company said there had been recent signs of an improvement in sales, with Boots the Chemist's like-for-like business ahead 1.3 per cent across the year.

Mr Russell said: "There's an improving trend in sales. Our job is to build on that momentum."

Boots is planning to demerge or sell off its Redditch-based car parts and bicycle business Halfords, but did not elaborate on when that might happen.

Halfords sales rose four per cent to £538.7m during the period, with operating profits up nearly 30 per cent at £54.3m.

Shareholders will receive a total dividend of 27.4p a share, an increase of 4.2 per cent on last year.