Growth at Sainsbury’s has accelerated in its first quarter thanks to fine spring weather and the group’s improving value proposition.
CEO Simon Roberts said a winning combination of “great value, outstanding quality, excellent availability and leading customer service” had driven further share gains, with the supermarket chain reaching its highest market share in almost a decade.
“We’re delivering our strongest-ever customer offer and many more people are choosing us for their main grocery shop,” he added.
Sales increased 4.9% to £7.8bn in the 16 weeks to 21 June, with the grocery arm of the group up 5%, while general merchandise and clothing improved by 4.2% and Argos by 4.4%.
A sunny spring helped Sainsbury’s boost sales of its Taste the Difference fresh food range by 20%.
Roberts said Sainsbury’s offered the biggest Aldi Price Match commitment in the market, covering about 800 everyday essentials, resulting in record ‘value for money’ customer satisfaction scores.
“We know how important it is that we provide consistently great value and we have built further on our strong competitive position, improving our prices against all key competitors year on year,” he added.
“We have great momentum, growing faster than the market for three consecutive years, and we are well set to deliver another strong performance over the summer.”
Looking ahead, Sainsbury’s expected to continue to grow grocery volumes ahead of the market, with underlying retail operating profits for the year of about £1bn.
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