Supermarket chain Sainsbury(J) Plc's (SBRY.L, JSAIY.PK) fourth-quarter total sales went up 7.1 percent year-on-year, with a 6.3 percent growth, excluding fuel. On a like-for-like basis, quarterly sales climbed 4.2 percent, as well as up by 3.6 percent, excluding fuel.
Over the quarter, the company grew customer transactions to 22.9 million per week, serving more customers than ever. According to Sainsbury, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day were especially strong this year, and it closed the quarter with a very successful Red Nose Day, presenting a record cheque for 10.5 million pounds on behalf of customers and colleagues.
The company said its convenience business is growing at over 18 percent year-on-year, driven by a combination of new space and strong like-for-like sales growth, while groceries online increased sales by about 20 percent year-on-year.
During the quarter, Sainsbury added 163,000 square feet of new space, including three supermarkets and 19 convenience stores. Over the full year, the company has added 14 supermarkets, eight extensions and 87 convenience stores, bringing its total gross new space to just more than 1 million square feet, up about 5 percent, in line with the target.
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