Supermarket chain J Sainsbury posted another quarter of growth on Wednesday, with sales in the three months to June rising by 0.8 percent.
On a like-for-like basis, sales in the three months through June rose 0.2 percent, with the group confirming that price cuts had attracted more customers to the store.
However, the growth was slower than in the previous quarter, which came in at 0.9 percent in the fourth quarter and 1.1 percent in the three months before.
Sales of general merchandise lent the biggest boost to the company’s figures, up 1.7 percent and outperforming the market. Grocery sales grew by 0.5 percent, with CEO Mike Coupe saying he was “pleased” with the progress over the quarter.
“The headline numbers reflect the level of price reductions we have made in key areas like fresh meat, fruit and vegetables since March,” Coupe said.
“Our price position has improved and customers have responded well, resulting in a continuation of the improved volume trend we saw in the second half of last financial year.”
The group are hoping that their merger with Asda will boost their ability to offer cheap prices, with the combined group set to overtake Tesco as the UK’s biggest by market share.
Both supermarkets have said that a combination would allow them to lower prices “by around 10 percent on many of the products customers buy regularly”.
