Strong sales of fruit and vegetables drove a 3.8 per cent growth at New Zealand Countdown supermarkets in the 13 weeks to 13 March 2019.
Inside Retail reported the growth is in comparison to the same period the year prior, and that total sales were impacted from previous store closures.
Online sales also contributed to growth, with Countdown’s online sales increasing 42.8 per cent, now accounting for 6.6 per cent of total sales. This was due to a strong interest in the click-and-collect option which allows customers to order and pay online and collect items instore.
In Australia, Woolworths, which owns the Countdown subsidiary, saw growth in sales of 4.1 per cent, however, fresh produce sales were impacted by drought and flooding across the nation.
In the 13 week period, Woolworths opened four new store locations in Australia, and two were shuttered.
Australian online sales increased 34.7 per cent year on year and accounted for 3.7 per cent of total sales.
