Sainsbury’s has dived to a £261m annual loss despite booming sales of groceries during the pandemic, as it spent millions of pounds on protecting staff and customers from the coronavirus. Food and Argos sales are significantly higher but the costs of keeping colleagues and customers safe during the pandemic has been high,” said Simon Roberts, the chief executive. Sainsbury’s has added 400 new outdoor and barbecue products to its ranges as it expects families to meet up outside. In the past year, sales in less urban locations were up 13% compared with an overall 9% drop in sales at convenience stores. Sainsbury’s slide into the red comes after it joined other supermarkets in returning millions of pounds of business rates relief after criticism.

Source: The Guardian April 28, 2021 07:52 UTC