Asda hits out at government for ‘killing confidence’ among consumers

But supermarket blames ‘self-inflicted’ IT problems that left gaps on shelves for 3.7% drop in sales

Asda has criticised the government for “killing confidence” among consumers but blamed “self-inflicted” problems that left gaps on shelves for a big reverse in sales.

Total sales at the UK’s third-largest supermarket fell 3.8% to £5.1bn in the three months to the end of September compared with the same period a year before – diving back from 0.2% growth in the previous quarter. Comparable store sales fell 2.8%.