Asda sees sales fall for the first time since 2006

Grocery giant Asda posted its first sales fall in four years as chairman Andy Bond said he expected "conditions to remain tough for some time".


The company, owned by US giantWal-Mart, is the first of the "big four" supermarket chains to see comparative sales slide into the red on sales.

In the three months to 31 March sales, excluding fuel and VAT, were down 0.3%.

Asda, with 374 stores and 170,000 staff in the UK, is to create 300 jobs at a home shopping centre in north London.

Food inflation

The firm said first-quarter profits grew ahead of sales and beat internal targets, but it did not give any figures.

It also unveiled a £12m investment in frontline services to reduce queues and assist customers.

Rising food inflation has been hitting sales growth amid increased competition between the big four, which also includesTesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

British consumer price inflation jumped to a 17-month high in April, driven in part by higher prices for food.

Mr Bond said: "The market has slowed down significantly since the turn of the year, and I expect conditions to remain tough for some time."

NEW blog in development

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="allaboutgrub"][/caption]

Hi all, I have been developing a new blog please come and visit it

allaboutgrub.wordpress.com

 - this blog is all about food, ingredients and where to buy good quality food from - add a marker to my allaboutgrub map to tell others about great places to eat out or places to buy great food from -

"go on share your food experiences with others" 

NEW blog in development

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="allaboutgrub"][/caption]

Hi all, I have been developing a new blog please come and visit it

allaboutgrub.wordpress.com

 - this blog is all about food, ingredients and where to buy good quality food from - add a marker to my allaboutgrub map to tell others about great places to eat out or places to buy great food from -

"go on share your food experiences with others" 

UPDATED: Supermarkets on employment drive

As the Supermarkets go from strength to strength will this have an effect on the downturn. The supermarket go on a big employment drive will this take the sting out of the recession.

But this growth in the supermarkets  will have a down side,  if the supermarkets continue to open new stores (small and large) then the smaller local produce shops will disappear even more than ever.

New jobs created

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Iceland created 2,500 Jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Waitrose create 4,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Sainsbury's create 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Tesco create up to 10,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Creating up to 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

Seasonal Produce

I work for a food manufacture. I think we should start buying seasonal produce, this will halp local producers and local growers. local produce. Why should we be able to buy strawberry's in December, we buy so much food from around the world, do we care about who and how our food is manufactured.

[polldaddy poll="1283004"]

visit full article

Morrisons to create 5,000 new jobs

A Morrisons customer in Tynemouth. The company wants to add 90,000 sq metres of store space in coming years Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Morrisons has pledged to create 5,000 jobs this year, bucking the rise in unemployment as it looks to grow despite the economic downturn.

Britain's fourth-largest supermarket group said this morning that it would create new positions across its chain of stores. The new roles will include working on Morrisons' butchery, fish and bakery counters, said the personnel director, Norman Pickavance, although full details were not available.

"Even in these challenging economic conditions, Morrisons is committed to hiring and training new people to keep retail as the engine room of the economy and support our continuing growth," Pickavance said.

sourced from The Guardian read full article

UPDATED: Supermarkets on employment drive

As the Supermarkets go from strength to strength will this have an effect on the downturn. The supermarket go on a big employment drive will this take the sting out of the recession.

But this growth in the supermarkets  will have a down side,  if the supermarkets continue to open new stores (small and large) then the smaller local produce shops will disappear even more than ever.

New jobs created

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Iceland created 2,500 Jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Waitrose create 4,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Sainsbury's create 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Tesco create up to 10,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Creating up to 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

Seasonal Produce

I work for a food manufacture. I think we should start buying seasonal produce, this will halp local producers and local growers. local produce. Why should we be able to buy strawberry's in December, we buy so much food from around the world, do we care about who and how our food is manufactured.

[polldaddy poll="1283004"]

visit full article

Morrisons to create 5,000 new jobs

A Morrisons customer in Tynemouth. The company wants to add 90,000 sq metres of store space in coming years Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Morrisons has pledged to create 5,000 jobs this year, bucking the rise in unemployment as it looks to grow despite the economic downturn.

Britain's fourth-largest supermarket group said this morning that it would create new positions across its chain of stores. The new roles will include working on Morrisons' butchery, fish and bakery counters, said the personnel director, Norman Pickavance, although full details were not available.

"Even in these challenging economic conditions, Morrisons is committed to hiring and training new people to keep retail as the engine room of the economy and support our continuing growth," Pickavance said.

sourced from The Guardian read full article

Tesco trails after new discount offers backfire

One of the largest supermarket changes in Britain "Tesco" has suffered over the Christmas period. It was the worse performing on the top four supermarkets. This article is in direct contrast to Sainsbury's bumper Christmas sales.

The Article

Tesco will this week report the weakest Christmas trading of the big four supermarkets as doubts set in over its ambition to become "Britain's biggest discounter".

Analysts expect Tesco to post a 2.5% increase in like-for-like sales, lagging behind a field led by Morrisons, with an estimated 9%, nearly 7% at Asda and 4.5% at Sainsbury's.

Last year Tesco introduced a range of discount brands such as "Country Barn" cornflakes and "Daisy" washing up liquid to compete with Aldi and Asda. Analysts fear that the cheaper brands cannibalise sales: because these brands cost less, Tesco must sell more to stand still.

"This is the first big mistake Tesco has made in a decade," said Planet Retail analyst Bryan Roberts.

The supermarkets fared better than non-food specialists during a tough holiday season for the retail sector with results from specialists such as Currys and Argos, also due on Thursday, expected to make grim reading as consumers deferred spending on non-essential items. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy will say that consumers let go of the purse strings to buy "special" Christmas treats for their families.

read full article sourced from The Observer

Tesco trails after new discount offers backfire

One of the largest supermarket changes in Britain "Tesco" has suffered over the Christmas period. It was the worse performing on the top four supermarkets. This article is in direct contrast to Sainsbury's bumper Christmas sales.

The Article

Tesco will this week report the weakest Christmas trading of the big four supermarkets as doubts set in over its ambition to become "Britain's biggest discounter".

Analysts expect Tesco to post a 2.5% increase in like-for-like sales, lagging behind a field led by Morrisons, with an estimated 9%, nearly 7% at Asda and 4.5% at Sainsbury's.

Last year Tesco introduced a range of discount brands such as "Country Barn" cornflakes and "Daisy" washing up liquid to compete with Aldi and Asda. Analysts fear that the cheaper brands cannibalise sales: because these brands cost less, Tesco must sell more to stand still.

"This is the first big mistake Tesco has made in a decade," said Planet Retail analyst Bryan Roberts.

The supermarkets fared better than non-food specialists during a tough holiday season for the retail sector with results from specialists such as Currys and Argos, also due on Thursday, expected to make grim reading as consumers deferred spending on non-essential items. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy will say that consumers let go of the purse strings to buy "special" Christmas treats for their families.

read full article sourced from The Observer