Strong Christmas performance continuing into January at SPAR

SPAR said its strong Christmas performance is continuing into January, after the retailer posted a sales growth of 7 percent for the week ended on 29 December 2019.

The like-for-like sales over the four weeks ending on the same day were up 2.6 percent, despite the fact that major food retailers have endured their worst Christmas since 2014 this time.

“Our performance over the festive period shows that we are responding well to shopper demands, with excellent marketing initiatives, and communication of the role our stores play in local communities,” said Louise Hoste, managing director at SPAR UK.

“This has driven sales and the results prove that convenience is still key for shoppers at Christmas.”

British supermarkets’ total sales over the four weeks to 28 December rose just 0.5 percent from last year, the lowest sales growth over the Christmas period in five years, as per Nielsen data.

The symbol group attributed the spike in the sales to its focus on fresh and availability, and thanked its suppliers.

“Supporting our independent retailers are our five wholesalers who have made huge investments into supplying quality fresh and chilled foods – and this investment is paying off,” Hoste said.

She said the group is now focused on “converting those Christmas emergency shoppers into more loyal everyday shoppers” as the retailers have seen the good Christmas performance continuing into January.

“Convenience is our business and by constantly tailoring our offer to local customer needs and developing categories like food-to-go, we will continue to maximise sales,” Hoste added.