Retail Week looks ahead to the next seven days with Asda, B&M and grocery sales figures all on the agenda.
B&M
The value retailer unveils its interim results on Tuesday. B&M’s first quarter like-for-like sales – covering the period to June 25 – were flat, but new store openings drove total sales up 21.5% to £554.8m. The business has been on an expansion drive, opening 12 UK stores and five in Germany during the quarter. B&M, which trades from more than 500 UK stores, plans to build its portfolio to 850 shops.
Grocery sales
Kantar and Nielsen both unveil their latest grocery market share figures on Tuesday. According to Nielsen’s last update on the sector, covering the 12 weeks to October 8, Tesco registered its best quarterly sales rise in three years, as the amount it took at the till climbed 1.4% year-on-year. Kantar told a similar story, as Tesco increased its market share to 28.2% – its first market share growth in five years.
Retail sales
The Office for National Statistics publishes its retail sales data for October on Thursday. According to ONS figures for September, online sales jumped by more than a fifth to £931m. Total retail sales – including stores and online – climbed 4.1% on a volume basis and 2.9% by value, but the under pressure fashion sector continued to suffer amid unseasonally hot weather. Clothing sales volumes fell 5.4% year-on-year, while they dropped 5% by value.
Asda
The supermarket giant posts its third quarter results on Thursday. The Walmart-owned retailer will be hoping to demonstrate some green shoots of recovery under new boss Sean Clarke, haven fallen off the pace of its big four rivals. Asda’s sales have nosedived during the past 18 months, with the supermarket chain suffering its worst ever quarterly sales fall of 7.5% during the second quarter of 2016.
Majestic Wine
The wine specialist unveils its half year results on Thursday. Majestic issued a profit warning in September after suffering from “challenging” conditions within its commercial division and a marketing campaign by its Naked Wines business faltered in the US. Majestic boss Rowan Gormley said the two factors distracted from “great progress” across the group, which is pressing ahead with its multichannel push after launching click and collect and next day delivery.
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