British supermarkets were boosted by the royal wedding and warm weather in the 12 weeks to 20 May, industry data showed on Wednesday, with third- and fourth-placed Asda and Morrisons outperforming their bigger rivals.
Kantar Worldpanel said that the country's second-biggest grocer, Sainsbury's, posted the lowest sales growth and continued to lose market share.
'Royal Wedding Fever'
Sainsbury's, which last month announced plans to acquire Asda, posted sales growth of 1% in the period, behind market growth of 2.7%, and its market share dropped by 0.2 percentage points, to 15.7%, according to the Kantar Worldpanel data.
The country's biggest grocer, Tesco, posted sales growth of 2.2%, with sales at Walmart-owned Asda up 2.8, and number-four player Morrisons posting a 2.9% rise.
“Morrisons has been enjoying a successful run of form,” said Chris Hayward of Kantar Worldpanel. “The retailer has now celebrated 19 consecutive periods of sales growth and has held market share at 10.5%. The supermarket succeeded in attracting an additional 311,000 new shoppers through its doors. Morrisons saw its alcohol sales increase by almost 8%, while the relaunch of the grocer’s own-label line, Savers, also contributed to overall performance.”
Hayward added that with year-on-year sales growth of 2.8%, Asda is also performing ahead of the grocery market. The retailer continues to prove popular with young families, while an increase in spend per trip – up £0.56, to £26.88, on average – has helped buoy sales. Asda’s e-commerce offering is also proving a winner among shoppers – the grocer’s online channel saw sales rise by 7.6% year on year.
Sales of barbecue-related foods like sausages and burgers soared, as did the demand for sun cream, Kantar said.
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