Rubbish Check
Independent Business · 28 August 2026
source“Asda returns to growth for first time in two years amid major turnaround plan”
R4/ 10
Selective
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates The Independent's claim that Asda "returns to growth" a 4/10 because the growth cited is a fragile 0.2% rise in the first seven weeks of the new quarter, while the just-completed Q2 itself still showed like-for-like sales down 2.3%.
The Verdict
Selective. The headline isn't false, Asda did report a positive like-for-like number for the first time in two years, but it conflates two different things: a tiny 0.2% uptick in early current-quarter trading with the actual reported Q2 results, which were still negative. The framing borrows the supermarket's own upbeat language ("returns to growth") without foregrounding how small and early that growth signal is.
What actually happened
Asda's completed second quarter of 2026 showed like-for-like sales down 2.3%, with food sales down 1.9%. Separately, in a trading update on the first seven weeks of the current (third) quarter, the company said like-for-like sales excluding fuel had risen 0.2%, its first positive reading in roughly two years. Executive chairman Allan Leighton framed this as evidence the turnaround, which he says is about a third complete, is on track.
Key facts
- Q2 2026 (reported, completed quarter): like-for-like sales down 2.3%; food like-for-like down 1.9%; revenue excluding fuel £5.1bn.
- First seven weeks of Q3 2026 (trading update, not a full completed quarter): like-for-like sales excluding fuel up 0.2%, the figure driving the "growth" headline.
- Market share described by Asda as stable at around 11.5%, per corroborating coverage.
- Leighton: "We have been very consistent with the fact the turnaround will take between three and five years" and estimates the plan is roughly a third done.
- Asda's own language: still "foothills of recovery", not a completed turnaround.
What to watch for
Watch whether the 0.2% early-quarter uptick survives into the full Q3 results, small positive readings on partial-quarter data can reverse once the full period is in. Also watch whether "stable market share" holds against Tesco, Sainsbury's and Aldi, since a flat share alongside marginal sales growth is a weaker story than the headline implies.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
