REG - Sainsbury(J) PLC - Trading Statement

J SainsburyAnnouncement

02/07/2024 07:15

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RNS Number : 6972U  Sainsbury(J) PLC  02 July 2024

2 July 2024

J Sainsbury plc

 

First Quarter Trading Statement for the 16 weeks to 22 June 2024

Biggest market share gains of any grocer as more customers choose Sainsbury's
for their main shop

 

Trading Highlights

 * Strong sustained Grocery momentum with a second year of volume growth as
customers continue to respond to our value, innovation and leading quality.
Volume growth has remained strong as inflation has slowed, despite tough
weather comparatives in recent weeks

 * Biggest market share gains of any grocer during the quarter(1) with consistent
net switching gains(2) as more customers choose Sainsbury's for their main
shop(3)

 * Sainsbury's General Merchandise and Clothing performance reflects improvement
in clothing trend offset by weaker seasonal general merchandise sales

 * Argos sales declined against a particularly strong comparative period with
significantly lower seasonal sales and weaker Consumer Electronics demand,
notably in Gaming

 * Commenced previously announced £200 million share buyback programme, to be
completed in FY24/25

 * Additionally expect to return at least £250 million to shareholders once the
sale of Sainsbury's Bank's Core Banking Business to NatWest has completed and
the future model for Argos Financial Services is in place

 * Continue to expect FY24/25 Retail underlying operating profit of between
£1,010 million and £1,060 million, growth of between five per cent and ten
per cent versus FY23/24, and to generate at least £500 million of Retail free
cash flow

 

  Sales Performance (YoY)*                  Q1

                                            16 weeks to 22 June 2024
 Sainsbury's                                4.2%
       Grocery                              4.8%
       General Merchandise + Clothing       (4.3)%
 Argos**                                    (6.2)%
 Total Retail (exc. fuel)                   2.6%
 Like-for-like sales (exc. fuel)            3.0%
 * Revised category disclosure reflects Next Level Sainsbury's strategy
 changes. Historic disclosure available at the end of the release

 **Excludes the impact of closing the Argos business in the Republic of
 Ireland. Sales performance including impact; Argos (7.7)%, Total Retail (exc.
 fuel) 2.3%, Like-for-like sales (exc. fuel) 2.7%

 

Simon Roberts, Chief Executive of J Sainsbury plc, said:

 

"We are pleased with our market-beating grocery performance and the early
progress we're making against our Next Level Sainsbury's plan. We've been
winning from competitors every month for 15 months, as more and more people
are choosing Sainsbury's for their big weekly shop.

 

"We are laser focused on delivering the best combination of value and quality
in the market and our customers are recognising that with 98% of big baskets
including Nectar Prices or Aldi Price Match. Innovation continues to be a top
priority and we launched 400 new products this quarter, almost half of which
were Taste the Difference, which continues to outperform a strong premium
market. Our Summer ranges are the perfect complement to this Summer of Sport
and we're gearing up for Wimbledon this week and England's quarter final match
on Saturday night.

 

"Our food business is going from strength to strength and I would like to
thank all of my colleagues and our suppliers and farmers for the brilliant
job they are doing every day to deliver for all our customers."

 

Strategic Highlights

 

First choice for food: Our consistent focus on great value, quality and
service is delivering. We are winning more volume from Primary customers than
all other full-choice grocers(4). This is driving basket size growth
significantly ahead of all competitors(5) and a second year of volume growth

 * Improvement in value perception ahead of the market(6), with 98 per cent of
big baskets including Nectar Prices or Aldi Price Match products. We now have
more than 650 products in our Aldi Price Match, as well as offering Low
Everyday Prices on around 1,000 products

 * Increased our Summer innovation by 10 per cent year on year with more than 400
new products, almost half of which are Taste the Difference. Taste the
Difference remains our fastest growing own brand, with sales growth of 14 per
cent and we continue to perform ahead of all competitors in Premium Own Label
volume growth(7)

 * Groceries Online participation increased to 14 per cent, as customers return
to more time efficient ways to shop. Our OnDemand service continues to grow
rapidly, with sales up more than 80 per cent

 * Overall supermarket customer satisfaction has increased 4 percentage points
and remains consistently ahead of full-choice competitors(8) as higher levels
of colleague engagement support the delivery of leading customer service.
Scores for product availability have improved across all channels,
particularly in supermarkets with an 8 percentage point improvement
year-on-year(9)

 * Remain focused on addressing food poverty in the UK and taking further action
to reduce food waste. Partnering with Olio across our estate to redistribute
'use by' surplus food following a successful trial

 * Positive improvement in Clothing sales momentum, particularly in Womenswear,
benefiting from renewed focus on core ranges but offset by the impact of
unseasonal weather in recent weeks

 

Loyalty everyone loves: The role of Nectar within our business continues to
develop as we annualise the launch and rapid roll out of Nectar Prices.
Customers are reacting positively to the value they can access and the ability
to accumulate rewards quickly(10)

 * Reached our highest Nectar participation to date over the Easter Bank Holiday,
with almost 18 million customers now digital Nectar collectors and customer
metrics in ease, relevance and value improving during the quarter(10)

 * Your Nectar Prices, our personalised offer, has been live on Groceries Online
for six months. Almost 90 per cent of eligible baskets include a personalised
offer, delivering significant savings to online customers

 * Major brands are increasingly partnering with us to run innovative promotional
events, driving strong sales growth and customer engagement, while continuing
to connect with us for Nectar360's deep media capabilities, valuable insights
and strong returns on advertising spend

 

More Argos, more often: We are making progress with our More Argos, more often
strategy outlined in February, both in transforming the business and reshaping
our core commercial and digital proposition. Despite a tough trading backdrop,
we are enhancing our digital offer and improving our range, particularly
expanding to more popular premium brands

 * Argos sales declined against a tough comparative, reflecting an unseasonal
start to Summer, impacting seasonal categories like House and Garden and
Outdoor Furniture. Weaker Consumer Electronics sales were driven by softer
demand, particularly in Gaming

 * Consumers continue to shop general merchandise more cautiously but respond to
value. Our new Big Red promotional events join up our best value offers across
multiple categories and have performed well with strong customer engagement

 * Extending ranges in key categories:

o  Extended Lego range by over 20 per cent in the past year, with a greater
focus on offering complete collections at mid-premium price points, driving
sales growth of 40 per cent

o  Introduced new suppliers through stockless Supplier-Direct Fulfilment
(SDF) arrangements across categories including  power tools, bedding and
sofas, offering more complete missions and ranges. This has driven SDF sales
growth of 7 per cent and a shift towards higher ticket items

 

Save and invest to win: Mobilising our plan to unlock a further £1 billion of
operating cost savings over the next three years, creating the fuel to
continue investing in our customer proposition, productivity and operations
whilst driving higher returns

 * The migration of our Food forecasting capabilities will complete this Summer,
supporting the optimisation of sales, waste and stock. This is already
delivering significant benefits, with availability improvements ahead of
target

 * Accelerating our ambition to become the UK's leading AI-enabled grocer by
committing to a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft. Key focus
areas are enhancing customer experiences online using generative AI,
empowering store colleagues by using real-time data and insights for key
processes and using machine learning capabilities to improve efficiency

 

 Like-for-like sales performance                                   2023/24                                      2024/25
                                                                   Q1       Q2          Q3          Q4          Q1
 Like-for-like sales (exc. fuel)                                   9.8%     6.6%        7.4%        4.8%        2.7%
 Like-for-like sales (inc. fuel)                                   3.9%     2.2%        5.3%        2.9%        2.4%

 Total sales performance                                           2023/24                                      2024/25
                                                                   Q1       Q2          Q3          Q4          Q1
 Sainsbury's                                                       9.9%     7.5%        8.4%        6.5%        4.2%
   Grocery                                                         11.0%    8.9%        9.3%        7.3%        4.8%
   GM (Sainsbury's) + Clothing                                     (2.5)%   (8.7)%      (0.3)%      (5.5)%      (4.3)%
 Argos (inc. ROI)                                                  5.1%     (2.6)%      (0.9)%      (6.6)%      (7.7)%
 Total Retail (exc. fuel)                                          9.2%     5.8%        6.5%        4.3%        2.3%
 Fuel                                                              (21.4)%  (17.1)%     (7.2)%      (7.8)%      0.4%
 Total Retail (inc. fuel)                                          3.3%     1.5%        4.4%        2.4%        2.1%

 Like-for-like sales performance exc. Argos ROI                    2023/24                                      2024/25
                                                                   Q1       Q2          Q3          Q4          Q1
 Like-for-like sales (exc. fuel)                                   10.0%    6.6%        7.4%        4.8%        3.0%
 Like-for-like sales (inc. fuel)                                   4.0%     2.2%        5.3%        2.9%        2.6%

 Total sales performance              exc. Argos ROI               2023/24                                      2024/25
                                                                   Q1       Q2          Q3          Q4          Q1
 Sainsbury's                                                       9.9%     7.5%        8.4%        6.5%        4.2%
   Grocery                                                         11.0%    8.9%        9.3%        7.3%        4.8%
   GM (Sainsbury's) + Clothing                                     (2.5)%   (8.7)%      (0.3)%      (5.5)%      (4.3)%
 Argos                                                             6.1%     (0.1)%      1.7%        (4.7)%      (6.2)%
 Total Retail (exc. fuel)                                          9.3%     6.2%        7.1%        4.7%        2.6%
 Fuel                                                              (21.4)%  (17.1)%     (7.2)%      (7.8)%      0.4%
 Total Retail (inc. fuel)                                          3.3%     1.5%        4.4%        2.4%        2.3%

 

 Total sales performance - previously reported detail  2023/24                           2024/25
                                                       Q1      Q2       Q3      Q4       Q1
 Total General Merchandise:                            4.0%    (2.6)%   (0.6)%  (5.6)%   (7.3)%
   GM (Sainsbury's)                                    (1.2)%  (2.7)%   0.9%    0.4%     (5.3)%
   GM (Argos) (inc. ROI)                               5.1%    (2.6)%   (0.9)%  (6.6)%   (7.7)%
 Clothing                                              (3.7)%  (14.6)%  (1.7)%  (11.7)%  (3.3)%

 

 

 

Notes

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements.
Such statements are based on current

expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual events or results to differ

materially from any expected future events or results referred to in these
forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise

required by applicable law, regulation or accounting standard, we do not
undertake any obligation to update or revise

any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
developments or otherwise.

 

A webcast presentation and live Q&A will be held at 9:15 (BST). This will
be available to view on our website at the following link:

https://sainsbury-q1-trading-statement-2024-25-analyst-call-july-02.open-exchange.net/
(https://sainsbury-q1-trading-statement-2024-25-analyst-call-july-02.open-exchange.net/)

 

A recorded copy of the Q&A call and a transcript will be available at
www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/investors/results-reports-and-presentations
(http://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/investors/results-reports-and-presentations)
following the event.

 

Sainsbury's will announce its Interim Results for the 28 weeks ending 14
September 2024 on 7 November 2024.

 

Enquiries

 

  Investor Relations      Media
  James Collins           Rebecca Reilly
  +44 (0) 7801 813 074    +44 (0) 20 7695 7295

 

(1)( )Worldpanel by Kantar - Grocery Value YoY market share gains - FMCG
excl. Kiosk and Tobacco. 14 weeks to 9 June 2024

(2) Worldpanel by Kantar Packs Net Switching - FMCG excl. Kiosk and Tobacco.
Net switching gains for last 15 periods of 4 week reads to 9 June 2024

(3) Worldpanel by Kantar Shopper Mission "Main Shop" YoY volume share gains -
FMCG excl. Kiosk and Tobacco. 14 weeks to 9 June 2024

(4) Worldpanel by Kantar Primary Shopper Growth YoY - FMCG excl. Kiosk and
Tobacco. 14 weeks to 9 June 2024

(5) Worldpanel by Kantar Packs per Trip growth YoY - FMCG excl. Kiosk and
Tobacco. 14 weeks to 9 June 2024

(6) YouGov Brand Index - Supermarket Value for Money perception metric

(7) Worldpanel by Kantar Premium Own Label Packs growth - FMCG excl. Kiosk and
Tobacco. 14 weeks to 9 June 2024

(8) CSAT Supermarket Competitor Benchmark data - Overall Supermarket
satisfaction score

(9) CSAT Supermarket Competitor Benchmark data - Availability of Products
Supermarket satisfaction score

(10) Nectar Brand Tracker, May 2024

 

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