Asda, the UK unit of Wal-Mart, today (2 January) unveiled a “solid” Christmas trading performance that beat expectations.
In the week leading up to Christmas, Asda said footfall increased by 1.3m customers over last year. Moreover, 23 December was the retailer’s busiest trading day ever, the company said.
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“This was one of our best ever Christmas’ as our commitment to everyday low prices has once again delivered great value for money for our customers with over one million more shoppers coming through our doors in the week before Christmas,” Asda president and CEO Andy Bond said.
“Food sales as expected held up well as customers didn’t stint on food and drink to share with family and friends. Sales of Extra Special products were up by over 50% year-on-year and we also saw a return to traditional Christmas fare as our sales of local produce increased by over 100% year-on-year,” Bond continued.
Over the seven-day period eight stores had sales of over GBP4m (US$5.8m), up from six in 2007, while 47 stores had sales in excess of GBP3m and 176 had sales of more than GBP2m.
Looking to next year, Bond was optimistic about Asda’s growth prospects, in spite of the economic downturn.
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By GlobalData“As we enter 2009 it is value retailers like Asda who offer genuine value for money who will win out as customers struggle to make ends meet,” he said.
