Sainsbury’s Reports Sales Fall For First Quarter

British supermarket chain Sainsbury's recorded falling sales in its fiscal first quarter. It is the…

British supermarket chain Sainsbury's recorded falling sales in its fiscal first quarter.

It is the second quarter of falling sales for the grocery retailer.

For its first fiscal quarter to 7 June, overall sales rose 1% while like-for-like sales fell by 1.1%.

Total sales, including fuel, dropped 0.3% and like-for-like sales fell by 2.4%.

General merchandise and clothing categories are continuing to grow strongly, reported the retailer.

Clothing reported double-digit growth in like-for-like sales figures.

Convenience stores reported a 18% rise, while web-based sales increased by 10%.

Private label sales soared by almost 10%.

Sainsbury’s said it would continue to invest in its pricing.

It admitted it expected shoppers to remain cautious for the foreseeable future.

Sainsbury’s issued a warning in May saying it expected challenging times to come.

Outgoing chief executive Justin King said that Sainsbury’s would still outperform rival supermarkets over the full fiscal year.