LONDON, June 24, 2026, 16:02 BST
- The stock was up 2.0% at 314.3 pence as of 16:01 BST.
- Sales rose 2.0% in the last 12 weeks, taking market share up 0.1 point to 15.3%.
- Sainsbury’s is set to release its first-quarter trading update on June 30.
Sainsbury (J) stock added 6.3p late in London, ahead of the FTSE 100, which was up 0.3%. The supermarket has an update due next week.
Sainsbury grew faster than the overall UK grocery market in the 12 weeks to June 14, Worldpanel by Numerator said. Tesco’s sales gained 1.2% and its market share was 28.0%. Lidl was up 8.6%. Online grocer Ocado showed a 13.5% rise. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said retailers are having to “compete hard for that summer shop”. Retail Times
Sainsbury outperformed the market over the last four weeks, Citi said, while Tesco didn’t keep pace. May and June have been “sound overall,” Shore Capital’s Clive Black said, with big supermarket chains “grinding trade out satisfactorily” despite tough comparisons from last year. Proactiveinvestors UK
UK grocery inflation eased to 3.0% for the four weeks ending June 14, down from 3.1% in the previous period. Grocery sales by value were up 2.4%, but that points to lower purchasing volumes after taking out price pressures. Promotions accounted for 30.4% of sales.
Sainsbury’s is set to issue its first trading update since April’s annual results, with the statement due June 30.
Sainsbury’s said it is aiming for total underlying operating profit between 975 million and 1.075 billion pounds for 2026/27, stripping out some one-offs. The forecast for retail free cash flow is above 500 million pounds. Grocery sales climbed 5.2% last year, but retail underlying operating profit slipped 1.1% to 1.025 billion pounds.
Deeper price cuts from Tesco or discount grocers could push Sainsbury to spend more to keep sales from slipping. Margins might get squeezed again if energy or food input costs go up. Sainsbury said it’s still unclear how the Middle East conflict will play out. Argos continues to face weak trading in general merchandise. Non-food accounts for about a quarter of the group’s sales, so Sainsbury is more exposed than Tesco if shoppers cut back on discretionary spending.
Sainsbury’s faces a tough year-ago comparison. First-quarter sales are up 4.9% for 2025. Grocery sales climbed 5.0%, Argos rose 4.4%. Like-for-like sales excluding fuel increased 4.7%.
