Wal-Mart's Asda returns to like-for-like sales growth in Q1

LONDON: Supermarket Asda, the British arm of Wal-Mart, said it returned to underlying sales growth in its first quarter as it battles rivals to attract price-conscious shoppers.

Asda, which trails market leader Tesco, by annual sales and is vying with Sainsbury's to be Britain's No 2 grocer, said sales at stores open over a year, excluding fuel and VAT sales tax, rose 0.1 per cent in the 15 weeks to April 20 compared to the same period last year.

The outcome follows a like-for-like sales decline of 0.1 per cent in its previous Christmas quarter.