Sainsbury reports 10 percent rise in Q4 clothing sales

Clothing delivered over 10 percent growth during the fourth quarter at Sainsbury and the company launched its 22nd Gok Wan collection which the company said had its best ever February launch. Total retail sales for the quarter were up 1.2 percent excluding fuel and up 0.5 percent including fuel. Like-for-like retail sales increased 0.1 percent excluding fuel but were down 0.4 percent including fuel.

Commenting on the performance, Mike Coupe, Chief Executive, said, “We have delivered a strong performance this quarter. Our supermarkets recorded both like-for-like transaction and volume growth and we continue to exceed our internal metrics for service and availability. We also maintained our market share in the quarter. We are progressing well with our quality investment in 3,000 own-brand products.”

The company opened 16 convenience stores including its second micro store in Richmond. Groceries online sales grew at nearly 14 percent and orders by nearly 19 percent, while entertainment also performed well, with nearly 11 per cent growth driven by some big releases in the quarter.

“We have traded well this year and are making excellent progress implementing our strategy. The market will remain competitive but we are confident that we will continue to outperform our major peers,” added Coupe.