Sainsbury’s confirms retail and grocery sales remain on the up, after stating it “delivered best possible Christmas for customers”.
In its Q3 trading statement, for the 16 weeks to 7 January, the supermarket saw retail sales, excluding fuel rise by 5.2%, with like-for-like sales up 5.9%.
Grocery sales also rose by 7.1%, which saw them 12.5% ahead of pre-pandemic levels. Chief executive, Simon Roberts explained: “We delivered the best possible Christmas for customers as millions of households managed their budgets differently, hosting larger gatherings again and treating themselves at home.
“Customers shopped early, buying Christmas treats and fizz more than once and looked for deals, taking advantage of Black Friday and other seasonal offers.”
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He said keeping prices low and giving customers value were both vital in Sainsbury’s sales success. “We prioritised keeping our prices low and giving our customers great value at Christmas. We went bold on the traditional fresh turkey roast dinner with all the trimmings and dessert, which was the best value in the market at under £4 per head.
“Sales were also boosted by the World Cup as people celebrated more at home. Our determined focus on delivering the best value alongside new and exciting festive food plus outstanding customer service and availability meant we delivered record sales, and market outperformance at both Sainsbury’s and Argos.
Acknowledging ongoing economic uncertainty, Roberts said: “We understand money will be exceptionally tight this year particularly as many people wait for Christmas bills to land. We are working together with our suppliers to battle cost inflation and we’re keeping prices low again this year with our biggest value campaign yet in January, price matching Aldi on around 300 of our most popular products.
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