23rd Jun 2005 07:01
Sainsbury(J) PLC23 June 2005 23 June 2005 First Quarter Trading Statement for 12 weeks to 18 June 2005 J Sainsbury plc today reports its first quarter trading statement for the 12weeks to 18 June 2005. Highlights • Total sales for quarter one up 5.7 percent (5.3 percent excluding petrol) (1)• Like-for-like sales, for quarter one up 1.9 percent (1.3 percent excluding petrol) (1)• Continuing improvement in product availability and price position Justin King, chief executive, said: "We are encouraged by our tradingperformance in the first quarter of this financial year which shows sustainedunderlying sales growth. Given the more difficult and competitive groceryretail market over the past three months, like-for-like sales of 1.3 percent (2)represents continued progress. We are also pleased that independent industrymeasures (3) now show our market share is growing. "We have seen further progress in restoring the appeal of our brand andcustomers continue to react positively to the changes they see in our stores.Supermarket deflation has continued, albeit at a lower level than we saw in thefourth quarter of last year. "We have now been investing in lowering our prices for just over a year. At thesame time we have enhanced product quality and significantly improvedavailability as we strengthen the Sainsbury's brand and rebuild our traditionalareas of competitive advantage. Customers are increasingly seeing the benefitof our better availability as we improve the in-store experience. "In particular our focus on fresh and healthy food has been communicated throughour recent advertising campaign and the ongoing success of our Active Kidsprogramme. The latter is a great example of how customers have readilyre-engaged with Sainsbury's as they see improvements and identify with thevalues that are integral to our brand. We now have over 25,000 UK schoolsregistered in the programme. In addition, we have announced today that we havebeen chosen by Comic Relief to be the key sponsor of the biennial Red Nose Dayand Sport Relief campaigns. This is part of a new six year deal which startswith Sport Relief in July 2006 and runs until 2011. We are delighted we havebeen able to make a long-term commitment to Comic Relief and we are particularlypleased to be linking up with Sport Relief. Alongside our Active Kidsprogramme, it is well suited to our commitment to promote a healthier lifestylefor customers and colleagues and support local communities. "We are implementing the plans outlined in October 2004 and our progress isencouraging. While we expect the market to remain highly competitive we willkeep doing the right thing for our customers. This is the most effective way tocontinue our progress in making Sainsbury's great again." Notes: 1. Growth rates have been Easter adjusted 2. Excluding petrol 3. As measured by TNS on a 12 weekly basis. 4. Sales growth for Q1 2005/06 inc petrol (%) exc petrol (%) Total 5.7 5.3 Lfl 1.9 1.3 Lfl inflation / (deflation) 0.1 -1.1 5. We will be holding a conference call for analysts and investors at 9:00am. To listen to the webcast of this call, we recommend you register in advance. Please visit www.j-sainsbury.co.uk prior to the event and follow the on-screen instructions. Alternatively, visit the website by 8:30 GMT 23 June 2005, and follow the on-screen instructions. An archive of this event will be available from 12:00 GMT on the day in the form of a delayed webcast. 6. The AGM will be on 13 July 2005. Enquiries: Investor Relations MediaLynda Ashton Pip Wood+44 (0) 20 7695 7162 +44 (0) 20 7695 6127 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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