Asda has revealed its March sales exceeded expectations, posted as parent Wal-Mart delivered its monthly trading update.

The UK’s second-largest grocer said its sales were driven by high customer traffic, the Easter season and strong sales of confectionery, fresh food, childrenswear and video games.

Mike Duke, vice-chairman responsible for Wal-Mart International, said: “We are pleased with the overall performance of our international markets. We had strong sales performance in key countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and China.”

For the five weeks to April 4, Wal-Mart’s US business delivered weak comparable sales of just 0.7 per cent. The world’s largest retailer’s total sales rose 7.9 per cent to US$36.97 billion (£18.64 billion), driven by an 18.7 per cent jump in international sales.

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