Business · Companies · 7 hrs ago
Asda food sales return to growth for first time since 2024
UK supermarket chain Asda returned to food sales growth in the three months to the end of September, the first time since 2024.
Same-store food sales edged up 0.1%, while online grocery sales rose 6.9% and Asda Express sales grew 2.7%.
Overall like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell 0.1%, a sharp improvement from a 2.3% fall in the previous quarter.
Asda has been cutting prices to bring shoppers back, but the investment has also reduced its earnings.
A faulty IT upgrade last year disrupted product availability, and Asda reported a £989 million pre-tax loss for 2025.
New chief executive David Potts is leading the turnaround, with a focus on keeping prices low, while Asda’s market share has slipped and the chain says more work remains.
Asda reported a 0.1% rise in like-for-like food sales in the third quarter, its first food sales growth since 2024.
The Leeds-based supermarket group said the increase came as it invested in lower prices.
Online grocery sales rose 6.9%, and sales at its Asda Express convenience chain grew 2.7%.
Overall group like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, fell 0.1% to £5.1 billion in the three months to the end of September.
The improvement followed a second quarter in which food sales fell 1.9% and group like-for-like sales dropped 2.3%.
- Who
- Asda, the UK’s third largest supermarket chain.
- What
- Like-for-like food sales rose 0.1% in the third quarter, returning to growth for the first time since 2024.
- When
- In the three months to the end of September; the articles were published on November 13, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Asda said investment in prices was paying off; the articles also cited price cuts and improved services as signs of improvement.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Asda’s group like-for-like sales fell 2.3%, while food sales fell 1.9%.
Asda’s like-for-like food sales rose 0.1%, returning to growth for the first time since 2024.
Asda hired former Morrisons boss David Potts as its new chief executive.
- Food sales
- Like-for-like sales rose 0.1% in the third quarter
- Overall sales
- Like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell 0.1% to £5.1 billion
- Online grocery
- Sales rose 6.9%
- Asda Express
- Sales rose 2.7%
- David Potts
- Hired as chief executive earlier in November 2026
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What people are saying
The work we’ve done through the period to deliver against our strategy was reflected in our third quarter performance.
Like-for-like food sales returned to growth in the third quarter, online sales grew strongly and group sales increased, despite the challenging economic backdrop.