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Tesco sees early signs of changing customer behaviour as inflation hits
Tesco said today it was seeing early indications of changing customer behaviour due to surging inflationary pressures that had made the market environment “incredibly challenging”.
Chief executive Ken Murphy vowed to work with suppliers to mitigate the impact of inflation as much as possible and support customers who are facing the most difficult economic conditions in decades.
Tesco and its nearest rival in the UK Sainsbury’s, have previously warned of a hit to profits this year as they plough investment into keeping prices down to deter customers from going to cheaper discount groups.
CEO Murphy said the signs of pressure were building.
“Although difficult to separate from the significant impact of lapping last year’s Covid lockdowns, we are seeing some early indications of changing customer behaviour as a result of the inflationary environment,” he said.
Reporting first-quarter results, Tesco maintained its full-year profit guidance despite reporting a 1.5% drop in underlying sales, broadly in line with analysts’ forecasts. They had fallen 1.2% in the previous quarter.
Tesco said that sales at its Irish stores for the quarter came in at £612m, a fall of 2.4% on the same time last year but up 10.1% compared to the same time in pre-Covid 2019.
Pessimism weighing on Britain’s households has hit unprecedented levels, as wages struggle to keep pace with inflation that reached 9% in April and is heading for double digits. Food inflation is predicted to hit 15% this summer.
The Bank of England stuck to its gradual increases in interest rates yesterday but said it was ready to act “forcefully” if needed to stamp out dangers posed by inflation it now sees topping 11%
A raft of industry data shows that consumers are cutting spending by cancelling music and TV subscriptions.
They are also removing more expensive meat and fish from the shopping list and making fewer car journeys in response to the rising cost of petrol.
Tesco’s shares have fallen 14% so far this year but most analysts consider it best placed amongst Britain’s major supermarket groups to navigate the downturn due to its buying power.
Tesco maintained its profit guidance for the full year – retail adjusted operating profit of between £2.4 billion and £2.6 billion, down from £2.65 billion made in 2021-22.
Article Source – Tesco sees early signs of changing customer behaviour as inflation hits – RTE
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