Tesco’s third quarter boosted by solid festive sales
Tesco’s group like-for-like sales increased by 1.5% in its third quarter as UK like-for-like sales rose by 1.8%.
The UK growth was driven by strong fresh food sales.
During the key Christmas trading period covering the six weeks to 7 January, like-for-like sales were up 0.3% with UK like-for-likes up 0.7%. In addition to food, some of the strongest performing categories included clothing and toys where sales rose by 4.3% and 8.5% respectively.
Dave Lewis, Tesco chief executive, said: “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 growth 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.”
During the period, Tesco also made its first quarterly UK market share gain since 2011.
