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Sainsbury’s has welcomed a strong start to the financial year, as grocery sales rose by 5% in the first quarter, helping to deliver the group’s highest market share since 2016.
Over the period, convenience sales grew by 6%, as the group recorded its highest ever customer satisfaction scores following a “positive customer response” to its Aldi Price Match campaign.
It comes as the supermarket said its value proposition is “stronger than ever”, with Value for Money customer satisfaction scores the “highest they have ever been”, having improved its price position against all key competitors year-on-year.
Meanwhile, Online grocery sales also rose by 6% year-on-year, reflecting growth in both orders and basket size as well as improved customer satisfaction scores.
Its Taste the Difference range performed particularly well over the quarter, with sales up by 20%, as customers bought new Deli and Picnic ranges amid the warm weather.
Its performance was also boosted by Tu Clothing, where sales rose by 8% and outperformed the market, driven by improved design and strong availability.
Womenswear delivered the biggest growth, rising by 13%, with strong seasonal performance in the warmer weather.
Looking ahead, the group said it expects to deliver an underlying operating profit of around £1bn for 2025/2026.
It added that its profit delivery will be supported by continued growth in its Nectar profit contribution, and will be weighted more towards the second half compared with last year.
CEO Simon Roberts said: “Our winning combination of great value, outstanding quality, excellent availability and leading customer service has driven further share gains, reaching our highest market share in almost a decade. We’re delivering our strongest ever customer offer and many more people are choosing us for their main grocery shop.
“We know how important it is that we provide consistently great value and we have built further on our strong competitive position, improving our prices against all key competitors year-on-year.”
He added: “We’re now offering even more opportunities for customers to save on the items they buy most often through the biggest Aldi Price Match commitment in the market, covering around 800 everyday essentials. As a result, our Value for Money customer satisfaction scores are the highest they have ever been.
“I would like to thank our brilliant colleagues, suppliers and farmers for their care and commitment as we work together to deliver for our customers and communities. We have great momentum, growing faster than the market for three consecutive years and we are well set to deliver another strong performance over the summer.”
