Tesco has reported like-for-like sales growth of 1.4% in its UK & ROI business for the 19 weeks to 7th January 2017. This represents a fourth consecutive reported period of growth for the multiple retailer.
In this period UK volumes rose by 1.1% and transactions were up 2.1%. The retailer’s fresh food range is said to have performed particularly well.
A statement from Tesco said: “We have worked hard throughout the period – in collaboration with our supplier partners – to minimise the impact on our customers of the inflationary pressures that have started to emerge in the market.
“We maintained positive like-for-like sales growth into the Christmas period, building on last year’s strong performance. Customers responded well to our seasonal product offering, with particularly good growth across our core Christmas grocery and fresh ranges, including a 24% increase in party food sales and an 18% increase in ‘free from’ sales. These ranges contributed to an outperformance of the market in volume growth in all food categories.”
Dave Lewis, chief executive at Tesco, added: “We are very encouraged by the sustained strong progress that we are making across the group. In the UK, we saw our eighth consecutive quarter of volume and delivered a third successful Christmas.
“Our fresh food ranges proved particularly popular, outperforming the market with great quality, innovative new products and even more affordable prices. Internationally, we have continued to focus on improving our offer for customers in challenging market conditions.
“We are well-place against the plans we shared in October to become more competitive for customers, simpler for colleagues, and an even better partner for our suppliers, whilst creating long-term value for our shareholders.
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