*** Tesco Swingers Club ***

WEDNESDAY 14/12/2005 17:54:53
Figures boost for Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's was given a boost today by new figures showing it is closing the ground on rival Asda in the race to be the UK's second largest supermarket.




VIDEO COMMENTS HOT TOPIC RELATED STORIES




According to market research group TNS Superpanel, Sainsbury`s controlled 15.9% of the grocery market in the 12 weeks to December 4 compared with 15.6% a year earlier.

This put it on the heels of Asda which has been growing at a slower rate than the market average and whose boss pledged yesterday to cut prices more aggressively next year in a bid to increase its competitiveness.


Asda - led by chief executive Andy Bond - was found to have a 16.5% share of the grocery market over the three months against 16.8% at the same stage of 2004.

Edward Garner, of TNS Superpanel, said Asda was finding it hard to maintain its historic growth because the market was tougher now than at any time over the past year.

Morrisons has been distracted by problems integrating Safeway and this has allowed rivals to capture customers, although TNS found that its position was stabilising.

With no more disposals of Safeway outlets taking place, TNS said the 11.3% share of the market controlled by Morrisons was largely unchanged on the past five periods.

Today`s figures also showed that Tesco had set a new record in the run-up to Christmas, posting double-digit growth to give it a dominant 30.6% share of all spending by Britons in supermarkets.

In contrast, Tesco controlled 28.7% of the market during the same period of last year.