Online sales growth of 40% and improved product availability
thanks to better back-office procedures have helped
Sainsbury's grow like-for-like sales by 7.3% for the first
quarter of 2008.
Chief executive
Justin
King said this morning, "The online operation is continuing to
perform well, with sales growth at more than 40%. We continue to
drive improvements in our operations in-store and throughout the
supply chain.
"Product availability and customer service have stepped up
significantly since the previous year, and during the quarter
recorded their highest levels since our mystery customer
measurements began."
King said like-for-like sales for first quarter were up 3.4%
(7.3% including fuel). He said Sainsbury's had opened three new
supermarkets, replaced one, extended two and refurbished nine. "We
also sold 22 of the 36 convenience stores that were announced for
closure in March 2008," he said.
King said the retailer now served nearly 18 million customers a
week. "We anticipate that the environment will remain challenging,
we operate from a strong financial position and our expectations
for the full year remain unchanged," he said.