Sainsbury's boosts clothing sales through Tu brand

Sainsbury's has seen a 15 per cent rise in the number of customers buying clothing, as its fashion sales head towards the £700m barrier. The UK's third-biggest supermarket chain said 7.5 million shoppers had bought at least one fashion item in the past 12 months, 1 million more than a year ago.

James Brown, Sainsbury's clothing director, said: "Across clothing, shoppers [on average] will shop with us between four to five times a year."

The grocer introduced its Tu clothing in 2004 and the brand delivered sales of £680m last year.

Mr Brown said it is looking to increase the amount of clothes sourced from the UK, which currently stands at just 1 per cent.