Sainsbury’s said it experienced the “biggest market share gains of any grocer” during the quarter as more customers flocked to its supermarkets for their weekly shop.
Sales at the supermarket jumped 4.2% in the 16 weeks to 22 June, with a strong 4.8% growth in grocery helping to offset a 4.3% decline in clothing and general merchandise.
It noted that the 4.3% decline reflected an improvement in clothing trends offset by weaker seasonal general merchandise sales, with the category reporting a 5.5% decrease in the previous quarter.
Sales at Argos dropped 6.2%, although Sainsbury’s said this was against a particularly strong comparative period with significantly lower seasonal sales and weaker electronics demand, notably in gaming.
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Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said: “We are pleased with our market-beating grocery performance and the early progress we’re making against our Next Level Sainsbury’s plan.
“We’ve been winning from competitors every month for 15 months, as more and more people are choosing Sainsbury’s for their big weekly shop.”
The supermarket said online participation was up 14% as customers returned to more time efficient ways to shop, with sales through its OnDemand rapid delivery service rocketing more than 80%.
Roberts continued: “We are laser focused on delivering the best combination of value and quality in the market and our customers are recognising that with 98% of big baskets including Nectar Prices or Aldi Price Match.
He said the supermarket’s food business is going from “strength to strength” as innovation “continues to be a top priority” referencing the 400 new products launched over the quarter, with almost half in its premium Taste the Difference range.
Sainsbury’s maintained its guidance of achieving retail underlying operating profit of between £1.01bn and £1.06bn for the current financial year, a growth of between 5% and 10% on last year’s figures.
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