Tesco v Sainsbury's: What the results say about UK economy In the UK he said trading conditions are "tough" with consumer confidence "remaining at very low levels." In particular, Mr Clarke identified general merchandise and electrical sales as a "drag on our overall performance." Justin King, the boss of J Sainsbury, cautioned that the "challenging economic backdrop" wil continue in the UK. Sainsbury's growth in like-for-like sales has been driven by the expansion of its convenience store portfolio, investment in its own-label brands, and an increase in clothing sales as the retailer launches new concepts such as its Denim Shop. However, Mr King said the UK had enjoyed a "unique and special summer" thanks to the Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics, which Sainsbury's sponsored. Nonetheless, a clear sign of the challenges in the UK is the aggressive discounting by the retailers. Sainsbury's Brand Match campaign, which pledges to match Asda and Tesco prices on branded goods, continues to offer customers money-off coupons at the till, while Tesco is sending coupons by email and post to individual customers. Mr Clarke says Tesco is spending no more on coupons than it was a year ago, but the promotions are far more personalised. Competition is always fierce in the supermarket sector, but rarely have companies had to work so hard for every pound of consumer spending.