By Mike Cherney

SYDNEY--Australian supermarket chain Coles Group Ltd. said sales grew in the fiscal first quarter as consumers continued to spend more time at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Coles said overall sales across supermarkets, liquor stores and convenience stores grew more than 10% to 9.6 billion Australian dollars (US$6.8 billion). The supermarket division constituted the bulk of sales, at roughly A$8.5 billion, and posted nearly 10% growth. Convenience store sales grew about 10% and liquor sales lifted about 17%.

Comparable sales growth was roughly the same as overall sales growth across the three businesses.

Online sales surged, with supermarket online sales up 57% and liquor online sales up 80% in the quarter, which ran from June 29 to Sept. 27.

"As we head into summer and Christmas, Coles is ready to play an inspiring part in lowering the cost of the many smaller celebrations that will take place as Australians reunite with their friends and family," Chief Executive Steven Cain said.

"As we enter a new Covid normal, Coles will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our customers and team members throughout our store network and supply chain," he added.

During the quarter, Coles said it launched more private-label products, implemented a refreshed liquor strategy, worked on its digital transformation toward more personal marketing and rolled out paperless operations to digitize entry and exiting of distribution centers.

Write to Mike Cherney at mike.cherney@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

10-27-20 1802ET