Sainsbury's posted its sixth straight quarter of falling sales as the country's supermarket price war shows little sign of easing.
The chain reported same store sales excluding fuel down a worse-than-expected 2.1% in the 12 weeks to June 6, which comes on top of a 1.9% drop in the previous three months.
Sainsbury's remains under pressure from falling UK food prices and as the big four grocers engage in fierce competition amid a scramble for market share, which is being eaten away by discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe, who took over from long-standing predecessor Justin King last July, unveiled a wide-ranging plan to fight back against the discounters in November which included price cuts to 1,100 items and improvements in quality to 3,000 own-brand products.
But Mr Coupe said today: "Trading conditions are still being impacted by strong levels of food deflation and a highly competitive pricing backdrop.
"These pressures, including the effect of our own targeted price investment, have led to a fall in like-for-like sales for the quarter."