January 12, 2012 4.16 pm This story is over 146 months old

Lincolnshire Co-op increased festive sales 7.4%

Strong sales: Lincolnshire Co-operative festive sales were above the average of national supermarket chains such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Lincolnshire Co-operative said its sales rose by 7.4% over the festive period.

The figures represent the five weeks to January 7, when shoppers picked up 57,000 tins of sweets and 50,000 boxes of mince pies.

The Society’s figures are above the average of national supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s, who reported a 2.1% increase (14-weeks to January).

Meanwhile, Tesco reported a 2.3% decline in like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 7, as its £500 million Big Price Drop promotion flunked.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s pharmacy teams also had a busy December with more than 400,000 prescription items dispensed during the month.

The Co-operative has around 205,000 members in Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Newark and employs more than 2,700 staff.

The Society runs over 200 outlets across the trading area including foodstores, filling stations, post offices, pharmacies, coffee shops, travel agencies, funeral services, and home stores.

Lincolnshire Co-operative’s Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter said: “We’re delighted with the sales our dedicated team of staff were able to produce over the Christmas and New Year period.

“In the current climate, customers want value and they want to shop locally. We provide that through our wide network of community foodstores, near to where people live and work.

“In 2012, we’ll be working hard to keep our customers and members satisfied. We’ve got a number of exciting projects planned for the year, including opening new outlets, providing new services and a wide programme of community activity.”

Source: Lincolnshire Co-operative