UK retailer Morrisons has posted a 2.8% increase in sales in the ten week period to 7 January, with the retailer saying that sales of its The Best private label range were up 25% over the period.
Retail contributed 2.1% to the retailer’s sales performance over the ten-week period, while wholesale sales were up 0.7%.
Competitive Prices
“More and more customers found more things they wanted to buy at competitive prices at Morrisons this Christmas,” commented David Potts, chief executive. “The hard work and friendliness of our colleagues continues to be key in delivering our strengthening performance, and I would like to thank them for everything they do for our customers.”
Like-for-like transactions were up 3.0% (including fuel) for the period, with Morrisons also enjoying a boost in sales from its ‘Free From’ and ‘Morrisons Makes It’ range, as well as the recently-launched Home & Leisure non-food range, the retailer said.
‘We again worked hard to improve the shopping trip and serve customers better,’ the retailer said in a statement. ‘Customer satisfaction again improved year-on-year − we had more tills open, shorter queues, and customers noticed our colleagues’ friendliness even at the busiest times. We also continued to become more competitive and, despite input cost pressures on many commodities, the price of a basket of key Christmas items was the same as last year.’
Online Growth
Its online operation, Morrisons.com, saw sales up 10%, boosted by increased presence across the north east of England. The retailer said that its store pick operations are set to grow in the coming months, ‘as we further expand the service into more new areas’.
Morrisons will commence supplying some 1,650 McColl’s stores with both Safeway produces and national brands this month, as part of a ‘rolling programme’ adding around 25 McColl’s stores each week.
“Our plans to become a broader and stronger business are progressing well, with another period of positive like-for-like sales and the start of the rolling programme to supply McColl’s,” Potts said.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
