Morrisons leads way in luring shoppers to the aisles

SALES at supermarket group Morrisons are growing at the fastest rate of all the major chains, according to new research.

And the Bradford-based grocer is also continuing to gain market share because of its reputation for value.

According to market researcher Nielsen, Morrisons’ sales figures grew at the fastest rate of all the major supermarket retailers, up 9.5% in the 12 weeks to November 29 compared to the same period last year.

This lifted its share up to 10.6% with Nielsen claiming the chain’s Christmas promotions were appealing to shoppers restricted by the credit crunch.

TNS WorldPanel, in separate analysis, said Morrisons was the fastest growing at 10.3% in the 12 weeks to November 30, followed by Leeds-based Asda on 7.8%.

The research said Tesco grew by just 4.3%, while Waitrose slipped into negative territory as its share diminished by 0.7%.

Last week, Morrisons announced the £223m acquisition of 38 stores from the Co-op as it revealed a “solid” 8% growth in sales over the last three months.

The 8.1% rise in like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to November 2 puts Morrisons well ahead of market leader Tesco.

Morrisons attracted 700,000 new customers to its stores over the period.