Sainsbury's sales get Paralympics lift - Kantar

* Sainsbury lifts UK grocery market share to 16.5 pct
* Tesco market share edges lower to 31.0 pct
* Waitrose market share at record 4.7 pct

LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - J Sainsbury Plc,
Britain's third-biggest grocer, has lifted its market share on
the back of its high-profile sponsorship of the London
Paralympic Games, industry data showed on Tuesday.
Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said Sainsbury's sales
rose 5.6 percent in the 12 weeks to Sept. 30, increasing its
share of the UK grocery market to 16.5 percent from 16.2 percent
a year ago, as the group benefited from advertising tied to the
Paralympic Games which followed the Olympics.
"Among the big four supermarkets, the standout performance
is from Sainsbury's. Its sponsorship of the Paralympic games has
clearly borne fruit," said Edward Garner, director at Kantar
Worldpanel.
The findings will not come as a surprise as last week
Sainsbury beat forecasts for second-quarter underlying sales
growth.
Kantar said market leader Tesco Plc achieved sales
growth of 3.3 percent over the 12 weeks, with its share edging
down 0.2 percentage points to 31.0 percent.
Last week Tesco, which is spending 1 billion pounds ($1.6
billion) to improve stores, service and products, said it had
halted an 18-month slide in underlying UK sales, though it also
reported its first fall in profit for nearly 20 years.

Britain's second-largest grocer Asda, part of Wal-Mart
Stores Inc, saw its market share edge up 0.1 percentage
points to 17.5 percent, while No. 4 player Wm Morrison
Supermarkets Plc saw its share fall 0.4 percentage
points to 11.4 percent.
Kantar also highlighted a record market share of 4.7 percent
for Waitrose, the upmarket grocer owned by John Lewis.
The market researcher said the UK grocery market as a whole
grew 3.9 percent, above the Kantar inflation measure of 2.6
percent, meaning that despite a background of austerity there is
growth in the market.
Separately on Tuesday an industry survey showed British
retail sales posted a solid rise last month, as shoppers
splashed out on sturdy shoes and warm clothes.
Following is a summary of Kantar's market share figures in
percent:
12 wks to 12 wks to pct change
Sept 30 2012 Oct 2, 2011 in sales
Tesco 31.0 31.2 3.3
Asda 17.5 17.4 4.6
Sainsbury 16.5 16.2 5.6
Morrison 11.4 11.8 0.0
Co-operative 6.8 7.1 -0.9
Waitrose 4.7 4.4 9.3
Aldi 2.9 2.4 25.4
Lidl 2.7 2.6 10.8
Iceland 2.0 1.9 9.2