Spar Austria

International food retailer Spar's UK arm has announced that fresh food sales jumped 3.1 per cent during the first quarter of fiscal 2010, boosted by an expansion in its own-brand range and an improved food and wine offer.

The convenience store operator saw sales of fresh vegetables climb by 10.4 per cent for the three-month period ended 31 July,while fresh fruit salesjumped by 20 per cent, Planet Retail reported.

Own-brand sales climbed by 4.4 per cent through the quarter, helped by the ongoing rollout of its own label ranges, while sales of promoted items rose 28 per cent year-on-year, with fresh food sales up 36.3 per cent.

'On a category basis, we've seen strong performances across our fresh food and our wine in particular,' noted Spar UK managing director Jerry Marwood.