Online purchases from Sainsbury's up a fifth

Retailer reports record 120,000 web transactions per week

Sainsbury's reports online shopping up nearly a fifth

Retail chain Sainsbury's announced its online grocery business grew nearly 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, which saw it take, on average, 120,000 orders per week.

Sainbury's chief executive Justin King said that its online grocery business delivered "record levels of service and availability".

Total sales excluding fuel were up 7.7 per cent, whilst like-for-like sales excluding fuel grew just 1.1 per cent.

Sainsbury's fourth quarter 2009 results showed like-for-like sales excluding fuel growing 1.7 per cent. King said of this decrease in growth: "We continue to expect the consumer environment to remain challenging."

Like-for-like sales disregard the contributions of stores that have been open for less than a year.