Supermarket brand Sainsbury’s has seen a “solid” first quarter, with all channels performing well and total sales up.

The company saw success from scrapping its ‘brand match’ policy, instead focusing on lower everyday prices following customer feedback.

Total retail sales were up 0.3%, although it also saw a 0.8% fall in like-for-like sales excluding fuel.

Clothing continued to see “strong growth” with sales up nearly 5%. In particular, its Admiral menswear performed well in the quarter, with the latest football inspired range already proving popular ahead of this month's 2016 UEFA European Football Championship.

Mike Coupe, chief executive, said: "We have made a solid start to the year with like-for-like transaction growth across all our channels and total volume growth. Customers continue to shop with Sainsbury's, knowing we will deliver on our commitment to provide great quality products and services at fair prices, whenever and wherever they wish to shop.

"Sainsbury's is well-positioned. Our core food business offers customers choice, quality and a clear value proposition. General merchandise and clothing continue to perform well with good sales growth across both businesses, and we continue to see encouraging results from Sainsbury's Bank, a significant opportunity for long-term growth.

"Market conditions remain challenging. Food price deflation continues to impact our sales and pressures on pricing mean the market will remain competitive for the foreseeable future. However, we are confident that our strategy to be a trusted multi-channel, multi-product and services retailer is delivering and will enable us to continue to outperform our major peers."

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