UK supermarket group J Sainsbury has posted a total sales increase of 8.1% for the first quarter ended last week (17 June), citing the ongoing World Cup and warm weather for the improvement.
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The company said its recovery plan remained on track, as it managed a sixth consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth, which jumped 5.7% in the first quarter compared to the same period last financial year.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “A combination of warm weather and additional sales of products related to the World Cup, where Sainsbury’s is official supermarket of the England football team, has led to a particularly good trading performance during the past couple of weeks after the sector generally experienced a slower level of growth after Easter.
“Going forward we are up against tougher comparatives and the market continues to be very competitive although we continue to believe our underlying sales performance can achieve the goal outlined in our Making Sainsbury’s Great Again plan.”
Sainsbury’s has also indicated that its “Wheel of Health” nutritional traffic light labelling, introduced to comply with Food Standards Agency (FDA) guidelines, now covers over 1,700 products and is welcomed by customers.
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By GlobalDataDuring the quarter, Sainsbury’s opened its 100th online store in Hedge End, in Southampton, taking coverage in the UK to 80%. It refurbished 29 stores, 14 supermarkets and 15 convenience stores, and opened four new convenience stores.
The retailer’s sales growth outstripped increased sales of 4.5% reported by Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, in its first quarter. However, the timing of Sainsbury’s update meant that it enjoyed seasonal benefits that have yet to be reported by Tesco.
