BOUYANT TRADING IN PETROL has been cited as a key driver of sales growth for Sainsbury’s, according to the supermarket’s trading update for the first quarter of 2004/5.

Total sales growth for Sainsbury’s including petrol was up 1.9 per cent for the quarter compared to 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of past year.

IMPERIAL TOBACCO has won the Best Supplier accolade at Harris International Marketing’s Convenience Tracking Programme Awards for the second year running.

The judging panel – made up of a mixture of 1,750 store retailers, head office buyers, warehouse workers and senior management – rated 82 suppliers from a cross section of channels in 13 different categories. Of those categories, Imperial won five and came second in two. Winning categories included Knowledge of Shoppers, Order Fulfilment and Improving On-Shelf Availability.

SOMERFIELD’S refit of 28 forecourt stores in the past financial year has been a key driver of sales growth, according to the grocery retailer’s end of year results. Sales growth for the year was up by two per cent compared to 0.9 per cent in the previous year, and Somerfield puts this down to improvements in operations, product ranges and the rollout of a refit programme, which has seen 184 sites already refitted.