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Tesco Shares Fall as UK Sales Growth Slows Over Middle East Uncertainty

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Tesco Shares Fall as UK Sales Growth Slows Over Middle East Uncertainty

Tesco (TSCO.L) shares fell in early Thursday morning trading after the retail giant reported slower UK sales growth in the fiscal first quarter, citing the "ongoing uncertainty for many households" created by the Middle East conflict.

For the 13 weeks ended May 30, Tesco reported UK comparable sales growth of 1.8% to 12.6 billion pounds sterling. This marked a slowdown from the 3.1% growth reported for the previous quarter.

Tesco shares declined nearly 3% in early morning trading in London following the trading update.

"We think that the softer than expected UK LFLs will weigh on the shares today but that this is a temporary seasonal impact rather than a deterioration in the underlying business performance or competitive position of Tesco within the market," Bernstein said in a quick-take note following the trading update, noting that the company "is happy with the performance of the business and continues to see customer satisfaction increasing."

Group sales rose 1.0% on a like-for-like basis and 1.8% at constant exchange rates to 16.83 billion pounds, supported by strong UK online sales growth of 8.9%. The company's Booker business, meanwhile, saw a 3.2% decline in sales on a like-for-like basis.

Despite the softer performance in the UK market, the company maintained its profit outlook for fiscal 2027. It still expects group adjusted operating profit of between 3 billion pounds and 3.3 billion pounds for the full year and free cash flow within its medium-term guidance range of 1.5 billion pounds to 2 billion pounds.

Chief Executive Ken Murphy said, "I am pleased with our progress in the first quarter, with customer satisfaction up strongly and continued sales growth building on the exceptional performance we delivered last year. With the conflict in the Middle East creating ongoing uncertainty for many households, we remain focused on giving customers the very best combination of price, quality and service."

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