British supermarket chain Waitrose revealed that its sales rose by 6.5% in the first quarter, as it continued its trend of outperforming larger rivals.Employee-owned Waitrose, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership, is outperforming all of the UK's 'big four' - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - with only discounters Aldi and Lidl doing better.
According to researcher Kantar Worldpanel, Waitrose's market share in the UK currently stands at 5% making it the country's six-largest grocery chain, with just over 300 stores.
In a statement released by the company, it attributed its good performance to the success of its "essential" own-brand and new store openings.
Free delivery for online shopping has also assisted in the sales incerase, with online sales leaping 79.4%.
Waitrose's sales in the week to 26 April were 2.1% lower than in the same period last year, reflecting a shorter trading week because of the closure of most shops on Easter Sunday.
Sales at sister chain John Lewis rose 6.5% in the same week, to £72.31 million.
