Asda recorded a sales decline ahead of the festive trading period, making it the only major supermarket to experience a revenue drop before Christmas.
The grocery giant’s sales fell 4.3% over the 12 weeks to 30 November, Worldpanel data revealed.
The retailer’s market share also sunk 0.9% to 11.5% over the quarter.
Rival supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl all saw sales rise during the period, the industry tracker showed.
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Ocado remained the UK’s fastest growing supermarket, with sales soaring 15.8% over the quarter.
An Asda spokesperson said: “We have been clear that it will take time to turn Asda around, but our strong progress in key areas reaffirms our confidence in our strategy and customer proposition.
“We’ve made meaningful improvements to our availability online and in stores, while restoring our reputation for great value by creating a clear price gap versus competitors. We recognise there is more to do, but we’re confident in our strategy to re-establish Asda as the UK’s cheapest traditional supermarket.”
The figures follow reports yesterday (8 December) that Asda was considering a crackdown on sick days as part of its turnaround efforts.
The supermarket has drawn up stricter disciplinary rules under an ongoing consultation, raising the chance of workers being let go for taking consecutive periods off sick, the Telegraph reported.
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