Sales of Sainsbury’s clothing brand Tu were up 10% during the fourth quarter to March 12, compared with the same period last year.
Sales were boosted by the latest Gok Wan collection, which launched in February and had its best ever start to the spring season.
Overall, the supermarket’s retail sales excluding fuel were up 1.2% and including fuel up 0.5%.
Chief executive Mike Coupe said: “We have traded well this year and are making excellent progress implementing our strategy. The market will remain competitive but we are confident that we will continue to outperform our major peers.”
As expected there was no mention of Sainsbury’s bid to take over Argos owner Home Retail Group.
Alison Pike, consultant at analyst firm Retail Remedy, said the Tu clothing brand had “nice product at good prices”.
But she added: “The fourth quarter brought a 10% lift in clothing sales but what continually grates is that Sainsbury’s has not fully maximised this margin-rich opportunity, opting to boost volume online rather than deliver a well-operated offer in store. It’s not as if it doesn’t have the capability – it does, so when will this be addressed?”
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