Sainsbury’s has reported a record Christmas as the peak of a strong third quarter in a trading report today.
Total sales for the third quarter saw an increase of 6.3 per cent excluding fuel, while like-for-like sales for the third quarter were up 3.7 per cent excluding fuel. Weekly transactions recorded a rise of one million year on year.
The supermarket served on average one million more customers each week over the quarter, hitting an all-time high of 24m in the seven days up to and including Christmas Eve.
In the quarter, Sainsbury’s opened eight new supermarkets including six stores acquired from The Co-operative/Somerfield and two replacement supermarkets (including Braehead at 68,000 square feet) and has completed five store extensions.
In 2009, the retailer had 32 more supermarkets open for Christmas than in 2008, driving a further step up in the contribution from net new space to sales growth of 2.6 per cent in the quarter.
Justin King, chief executive, said: “We continue to deliver record levels of customer service and availability, demonstrating the commitment of colleagues on behalf of customers, particularly given the difficult weather conditions in the run-up to Christmas. We are delighted to have offered permanent roles to over 1,000 of the colleagues we recruited for temporary roles at Christmas.
“The business continues to perform well in what remains a challenging consumer environment. Our universal customer appeal together with our accelerated growth plans means we are well placed to make continued good progress in 2010.”
King also said no Sainsbury's stores would be closed due to the snow across the UK today and all product deliveries to the retailer had been made yesterday.
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