UK grocery retailer Sainsbury’s has reported modest growth sales figures in its second quarter trading statement for 2011, with like-for-like sales in the 16 week period to 1 October up by 1.9 per cent excluding fuel.
In what its chief executive, Justin King, described as a “good sales performance in a tough consumer environment”, the company’s like-for-like sales for the first half of 2011 also grew by 1.9 per cent compared with the same period a year before.
During a quarter in which the retailer said fuel prices continued to affect disposable incomes and put pressure on household budgets, Sainsbury’s launched several lower-priced initiatives, including ‘Live Well For Less’.
The company said the relaunch of its ‘by Sainsbury’s’ range was also well under way, with 3,000 “new or improved lines” that it claimed offered shoppers “the same or better quality as the branded equivalent at prices typically 20 per cent lower”.
During the same period, Sainsbury’s said its premium ‘Taste the Difference’ range, which was relaunched last year, and its economy ‘basics’ range both experienced strong growth.
Although the retailer opened four new supermarkets in the quarter, the most notable growth has continued to come from Sainsbury’s convenience business, which increased by 20 per cent in like-for-like terms, with the launch of 24 new stores.
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