The Midcounties Co-operative enjoyed a sparkling festive period in its food stores with sales up despite the recession.

Like for like sales in the three-week Christmas period ending on 2 January were up a strong 6.73%. With food inflation at 3.7% this indicates a true like for like growth in its market share of over 3%. This result continues the ongoing trend of strong growth with a 4.85% increase in like for like sales over the 13 weeks to 3 January 2010.

Ben Reid, Chief Executive, said: “This is another positive trading performance in our food business which shows how well we are serving the communities in our heartlands. The continuous improvement in our range of quality products and a strong promotional package to give better value for money has shown we can compete with the major players.

“Our range of Truly Irresistible products has again this year received national recognition with a particular highlight being the praise for the Truly Irresistible Christmas pudding.

“We have also continued to demonstrate our support for animal welfare with all our fresh turkeys this year meeting the RSPCA approved Elmwood standard.

“These are challenging times and it is more important than ever for retailers to connect with its customers and we are delighted that an increasing number of people are clearly choosing a locally-owned business which invests in the communities it serves. Our customers are showing that they trust us to deliver both quality and value.”

Sales of meat did particularly well in the run-up to Christmas with customers benefiting from half price deals on beef, pork, chicken and lamb. Also chilled, confectionery and beer, wines and spirits achieved strong sales growth.

The Society is the second largest independent co-operative in the UK and operates in a trading area, which includes the Black Country, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and surrounding counties.

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