Tesco Sees Sales Down In First Quarter Supermarket chain Tesco has reported a sales slide in the UK and Europe during the first reporting quarter of 2013. Tesco, the world's third biggest retailer, reported a drop in like-for-like UK sales of 1%, with a slide of 5.5% in Europe. The worse than expected results raises concerns of its recovery plan for the domestic market. The firm, whose profit fell for the first time in two decades in the year that ended February 23, has spent £1bn on a fightback plan in Britain. Additional plans include a scaling back of operations in the United States, as first reported by Sky News City Editor Mark Kleinman last December. Around two thirds of its revenue and profit come from the home market. It said sales at UK stores open more than a year, excluding fuel and VAT, fell 1% in the 13 weeks to May 25. The sales drop was greater than that forecast by analysts. Tesco saw sales up 0.5% in the previous quarter, which was the stronger quarterly outcome for three years. Tesco said total Q1 sales increased 2.7%, excluding fuel sales. Chief executive Philip Clarke said: "Conditions outside the UK remain challenging and we have broadly maintained our performance from the fourth quarter of last year."