Tesco sales have surged over the past three months driven by a sharp rise in customers shopping online during the coronavirus lockdown.
The supermarket giant said sales were up by 8% to £13.4bn in the quarter to May.
The group said this had been bolstered by a 48.5% hike in UK online sales for the period covering the COVID-19 crisis, soaring by 90% in May alone.
Responding to the coronavirus-triggered demand, Tesco said it had doubled its online capacity over a five-week period and was now fulfilling more than 1.3 million orders per week.
Across the quarter as a whole, it delivered 12.6 million orders, including to a priority list of 590,000 vulnerable customers.
As well as home deliveries, there has also been an expansion of the click and collect service, making up around a quarter of online orders.
As a result, Tesco's online grocery business had grown from 9% to more than 16% of its total UK sales.
The chain also said it expected its bill for dealing with the COVID-19 crisis would top £840m for the full year.
This included the provision of twelve weeks' paid leave to 26,000 vulnerable staff, as well as the recruitment of 47,000 temporary employees to cover absence and meet increased demand.
There was also the cost of re-opening previously mothballed distribution centres.
However, it pointed out this outlay would partially be offset by the UK business rates relief of £532m and additional food sales.
The figures came during the final update by current chief executive Dave Lewis, who will be replaced by Ken Murphy at the end of September.
Mr Lewis has driven a major turnaround at the company following an accounting scandal in 2014.
He sold off numerous international arms of the group and coordinated the acquisition of wholesaler Booker during his tenure.
Mr Lewis said: "Through a very challenging period for everyone, Tesco colleagues have gone above and beyond, and I'm extremely proud of what they've achieved.
"Their selfless efforts, combined with our embedded strategic advantages in stores and online, have helped to ensure that everyone can get the food they need in a safe environment.
"The costs of doing this have been significant and only partly offset by business rates relief and increased volume.
"We see the balance as an investment in supporting our customers at a time when they need it most."
Last week, Tesco sold its entire Polish supermarket division for £181m in its latest disposal under Mr Lewis.
The update also came ahead of the company's annual general meeting, where it is expected to face a shareholder revolt over its pay rules and plan to hand the outgoing boss a £6.4m pay deal.
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Responding to the Tesco figures, Sophie Lund-Yates, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Tesco's confirmed we're shopping less often, but stocking up on more items when we do enter a supermarket.
"This isn't a surprise given that entering busy shops is something we're less inclined to do than a few short months ago.
"This change in habits has tangible benefits for Tesco, because its bigger stores and range of products are likely behind the higher number of customers switching to Tesco from discounters like Aldi.
"Looking beyond the pandemic the key will be keeping hold of these customers, their loyalty is temporary until proven otherwise."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXRlc2NvLXNhbGVzLXN1cmdlLWFzLW9ubGluZS1zaG9wcGluZy1zb2Fycy1vdmVyLWNvdmlkLTE5LTEyMDE1MTg40gFsaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXRlc2NvLXNhbGVzLXN1cmdlLWFzLW9ubGluZS1zaG9wcGluZy1zb2Fycy1vdmVyLWNvdmlkLTE5LTEyMDE1MTg4?oc=5
2020-06-26 10:12:43Z
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