Sainsbury’s gets serious about games

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has renewed its commitment to gaming, following impressive sales growth in the second quarter.

The national grocer revealed an increase in sales of 8.4 per cent, with the non-food category playing a vital role in the impressive results.

Gurdeep Hunjan, Sainsbury’s DVD and games buyer, told MCV: Games hardware and software is one of the fastest-growing categories in Sainsbury’s and plays a critical role in the continued growth of our non-food lines.”

Despite challenging trading conditions throughout the UK economy, Sainsbury’s second quarter trading statement revealed that total sales for Q2 were up 8.4 per cent (or 5.3 per cent excluding fuel). Q2 like-for-like sales rose by 7.5 per cent (or 4.3 per cent excluding fuel) while like-for-like first half sales jumped 7.4 per cent (3.9 per cent excluding fuel).

Chief executive Justin King said: During the quarter we continued to develop our offer to help customers manage tighter budgets without the need to sacrifice food quality. Customers have responded well and transaction numbers continue to grow.”

The news comes two months after Hunjan told MCV that Sainsbury’s is going after gaming big time” and is doubling its games hardware targets, signalling a positive attitude to gaming across the chain’s stores.