Supermarket Sainsbury’s has notched up a rise in first-quarter sales as solid grocery trading offset a hit from poor early summer weather on its general merchandise and clothing businesses.
The chain reported a 3% rise in like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, in the 16 weeks to June 22, stripping out the closure of its Argos business in Ireland.
Total grocery sales lifted 4.8% as the firm saw robust growth by volume, with food inflation now having fallen back significantly.
Sainsbury’s revealed that total general merchandise sales fell 4.3% due largely to a blow from unseasonal early summer weather while sales in the Argos business fell 6.2% due to weaker demand for consumer electronics and gaming products.
The group said it was sticking to its guidance for underlying retail operating profits of between £1.01 billion and £1.06 billion for the full year, which would be growth of 5% to 10%.
Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “We are pleased with our market-beating grocery performance.
“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.”
Mr Roberts said the group was also “gearing up for Wimbledon this week and England’s quarter final match on Saturday night”.
