Morrisons achieved a surprise increase in sales over Christmas as customers returned to the supermarket chain.
Sales at stores open a year or more, excluding fuel, rose 0.2% in the nine weeks to 3 January, Morrisons said in a trading statement. City analysts had expected like-for-like sales, which exclude new stores, to fall 2%.
Morrisons said customers were starting to return to its stores with like-for-like transactions up 1.3% in its core supermarkets during the period. The chain has been badly hit by competition from the German discounters Aldi and Lidl and has cut prices to compete.
Related: Retail Christmas: the winners and losers in the UK
David Potts, Morrisons’ chief executive, said: “We are pleased with our improved trading performance over the Christmas period. While there is of course much more to do, we are making important progress in improving all aspects of the shopping trip, and our customers tell us they are pleased with the changes.
Morrisons is the first of Britain’s big four supermarkets to report sales figures for the vital festive period amid fierce competition and falling prices.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét