SUPERMARKET chain Asda reported busier-than-usual trading in the two weeks before Christmas.
The Leeds-based company, which has a store at Bradford Road in Huddersfield, said many customers made two trips to complete their “big shop” – after heavy snows left shoppers without last minute essentials in 2009.
The firm said Thursday December 23 was still the chain’s busiest festive day with a record 4m customers visiting its 384 UK supermarkets.
However, the fortnight leading up to Christmas saw 11 stores record sales of more than £7m compared with nine that passed the figure in 2009.
The company’s stores at Boldon, Tyne & Wear, and Havant, Hampshire, both took more than £8m in the two weeks. Other leading stores included ones in Edinburgh and Northern Ireland.
Asda has not disclosed trading figures for the period, but it described the run-up to Christmas as good and said it was “pleased with the continuing momentum”.
In November, Asda reported a return to sales growth for the third quarter of its financial year as it benefited from new pricing initiatives and the revamp of its upmarket Extra Special range.
Asda chief executive Andy Clarke said the chain increased efforts to make sure deliveries got through and that stores remained open during the snow.
He said: “The combination of bad weather and people working hard to budget this year has meant the Christmas shop has been spread across a longer period of time, with shoppers making a couple of trips to stock up for the festive season.”
The company opened 105 of its stores on Boxing Day in response to feedback from customers.
