Tesco's Irish operation saw its like-for-like sales drop by 6.4 per cent (excluding petrol) in the first half of its financial year, according to results filed this morning.
Following a full-year decline of 5.5 per cent in 2013/14, Tesco Ireland saw like-for-like sales drop 5.5 per cent year on year in Q1 of 2014/15 and 7.3 per cent in Q2.
Overall, total sales for Tesco's European operations declined 1.8 per cent at constant rates.
"The pressure on sales, particularly in Ireland and Slovakia, held back any further profit growth," Tesco said in a statement. "The Irish market remained challenging, with intense competition led by the discounters and high levels of coupling."
The period saw the introduction of the Delivery Saver scheme in Ireland for online orders.
Commenting on the retailer's disappointing international performance, David Gray, retail analyst at Planet Retail, said, “Even the international business, once Tesco’s dependable wingman in a tight spot, is showing less heart for the fight."
