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Asda has revealed that its like-for-like sales climbed 7.3% for the three months ended 31 March 2021.
The increase in like-for-like sales was driven by a 31% jump in clothing and a 39% spike in general merchandise sales.
Moreover, like-for-like food sales at Asda also increased by 3.9% during the quarter, while online shopping rose 88% year-on-year.
Roger Burnley, CEO and president at the company, said: “We showed huge resilience last year in unprecedented circumstances and carried this momentum through the first quarter with strong like-for-like sales growth in many key categories, especially clothing and general merchandise.
“Whilst the closure of non-essential retail during the first quarter helped stimulate demand, our constant focus on keeping prices low, providing great quality products and developing in-store partnerships with market leading consumer brands.”
In the trading update, Asda also revealed that it’s operating profit declined 16.7% year-on-year to £486.5m for the year ended 31 December 2020.
The fall in profits came despite Asda’s sales rising 3.6% during the period to over £20.3bn, due to “Covid-related costs” such as providing shielding employees with 12-weeks’ pay and hiring 22,000 temporary staff members.
