• Comp sales (like for like) growth for fourth quarter up 7.2% (ex. petrol), 6.5% for full year

• Winning new customers across the UK, with largest gains in South of England

• Sales momentum accelerating into 2009 thanks to ASDA’s strengthened price leadership

• CEO, Andy Bond, calls on Government to promote competition during the recession

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced today (17th February) that ASDA delivered another strong sales performance in the fourth quarter of 2008 achieving comp sales (like-for-like) growth of 7.2% (excluding petrol). This was up from 6.9% in Q3, 6% in Q2 and 5% in Q1.

A combination of increased customer numbers and higher basket spend, driven by its long-standing commitment to everyday low prices, saw ASDA beat both its sales and profit plan for the full year. Comp sales growth for the full year was 6.5% (excluding petrol). Britain’s second biggest supermarket has now out-performed the market for eleven successive quarters.

Today [Tuesday 10th February] ASDA is reaffirming its commitment to cut out unnecessary waste by joining INCPEN (The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment) – one of the UK’s leading non-government organisations helping to make packaging more sustainable throughout the supply chain.

The supermarket, which has already reduced packaging on its own label products by 25% in the last 12 months, will now pool its operational knowledge and technical expertise with material suppliers, packaging manufacturers and other retailers of packaged goods from across the globe, in a bid to minimise the environmental impact of the product supply chain for the greater good.

By working cross-functionally with other influential companies under INCPEN’s guidance, ASDA hopes the industry can implement cross-sector improvements to help reduce consumption and keep costs to a minimum – enabling the supermarket to pass on savings by lowering prices so that its customers can afford to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Asda has today (Saturday 28th February) officially launched its own TV channel on You Tube (http://www.asda.com/symtv) called Saving You Money TV (SYM TV).

The no-nonsense site is full of tips and suggestions generated by its own customers, plus a selection of short films produced by Asda to help save people money.

In the coming weeks the supermarket’s channel will also demonstrate how by cutting out unnecessary waste from its business Asda is able to keep costs down and continually lower prices for customers. Rick Bendel, chief marketing officer at Asda said

‘Our new TV channel is the latest example of how every thing we do at Asda is designed to save our customers money. The content is driven by our customers who can send in their video tips by post, by text or by uploading them to You Tube.’

‘We also have a team that are constantly trawling the net looking for the best money saving tips on the web, and a mobile TV crew that are on hand to capture tips from people in the street, in our stores or in the comfort of their own homes.’

As part of ASDA’s commitment to monitor and improve the conditions under which its products are produced, the retailer is today (Friday 13th February 2009) hosting its first ethical trading conference for suppliers at its Merchandising Centre of Excellence (MCE) in Morley, West Yorkshire.

Lead by ASDA’s ethical sourcing team and addressed by Rt Hon Ed Balls MP (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and MP for Normanton), the conference will bring together 300 of ASDA’s leading own-label suppliers, Yorkshire businesses and other key stakeholders, with the goal of improving ethical business standards across the supply chain.

In partnership with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Unite, the Garment and Leather Workers Federation and Anti-slavery International, ASDA will share best practice with suppliers to ensure they are effectively equipped to address ethical sourcing issues.

• The increase in AB shoppers has led to demand of premium products like 100% Linen
• Sales of bikinis have risen by 22% year on year.

Despite the recent snow and freezing temperatures across the country, ASDA has noticed a very unusual demand for summer clothing from customers.

Requests for swimwear, flip flops and natural materials like 100% cotton and linen have been flooding into the stores headquarters and sales of bikinis have surprisingly risen by 22% year on year.

Savvy shoppers told ASDA they wanted to buy summer wear now to spread the cost of their holiday wardrobes. George customers also told the supermarket that items like linen can be worn now and all the way through to the summer months, dressed up or down, making it a low ‘cost per wear’ item.

The average UK household had £143 a week disposable income in January 2009, two per cent lower than a year earlier, according to the latest Income Tracker report from ASDA.

As a result the average family is now £3 a week worse off. The report indicates that inflationary pressures are easing rapidly, which means family discretionary spend is likely to rise within the next couple of months.

However as the fear of unemployment increases, many households will opt to save rather than spend any extra household income.

The new risk to discretionary spend comes from rising unemployment and weaker earnings growth.

ASDA announced today that, by Easter, 12500 prices across the store will be lower than they were at the start of the year as it continues to drive down the cost of the weekly shop for millions of hard-pressed shoppers.

The supermarket has already slashed 7500 prices since 1st January, and this weekend will see the start of a further 5000 price cuts on every day essentials.

What’s more, Britain’s lowest priced supermarket has vowed to give customers value they can trust by not baffling them with vague claims or putting up any prices that can’t be fully justified. ASDA’s new price pledge signals “bye bye to BOGOFs” and any deals or promotions that aren’t substantiated by a price, ASDA customers are guaranteed to be always shown the price they’ll pay for every item, deal or no deal.