Fresh and e-commerce send Walmart sales higher

American retailer Walmart has increased its sales by 2.5 % over the third quarter, predominantly driven by strong sales of fresh food and beverages. Online sales also rose sharply.

Focus on fresh food

Walmart recorded a total turnover of 128 billion dollars (116 billion euros) in the third quarter, an increase of 2.5 %. In the United States, there was a growth of 3.2 %, while international activities increased by 1.3 %. The turnover of Sam’s Club increased by 0.7 % to 14.6 billion dollars (13 billion euros).

The world’s largest supermarket chain benefited from strong sales of snacks, beverages, fresh food and pet products, helping to compensate for a slight fall in the fashion segment. “Improvements in areas like bakery and meats are resonating with customers“, CFO Brett Biggs explained to CNBC. “We have focused on improving fresh presentation and product quality and this has resulted in stronger sales and market share gains.”

The spectacular growth in e-commerce is also striking: no less than 41 %. According to analysts, the large number of shops that serve as pick-up points and the home delivery service is playing in Walmart’s favour. “The grocery delivery, the grocery pickup — they are building customer loyalty that continues to drive the positive growth”, director of consumer research at Refinitiv, Jharonne Martis, said. “They are doing a really good job at the integration between online and physical store.”