As cost of living pressures ease discretionary income rises 1.8 per cent on last year

• Typical UK household has £166 a week disposable income
• Families in Scotland are £4 a week better off compared to this time last year
• Spending power falls by £2 a week in Northern Ireland
• Higher share of households renting property in London leaves city dwellers with an income rise of £1 a week
• South West has greatest increase at £5 per week

ASDA has welcomed the findings from Food Standards Agency (FSA) customer research on front of pack labelling. The report states that shoppers would benefit from a single FOP scheme that includes the words ‘high, medium and low’, traffic light colours and percentage of Guideline Daily Amount (GDA). This system was introduced by ASDA in 2007.

• Underlying comp (LFL) sales growth accelerating to 8.4%* in first quarter
• Winning customers from all competitors, and growing at more than twice the rate of the market
• Strengthening position as the lowest priced retailer, as independently measured
• Significantly improved quality – 80% products now rated “as good as” or “better” than rivals’
• Customer insight driving product innovation and offers
• Home Shopping – fasting growing in the UK and coverage extended

ASDA today (14th May 2009) delivered its twelfth successive quarter of market out-performance with underlying comp sales (like-for-like) increasing by 8.4%* (excluding petrol, the timing of Easter and the impact of leap day in 2008. Unadjusted comp growth was 6.4%).