Sainsbury's has reported a 2.8% fall in like-for-like sales in its first trading update under new boss Mike Coupe.
It is the third sales decline in a row for the supermarket and it warned the downward spiral looked likely to continue for the rest of the financial year.
Mr Coupe blamed the decline on the "dynamic and fiercely competitive" supermarket price war.
The chief executive took over this summer following the departure of Justin King - hailed as the saviour of the business at the end of his decade in charge.
But the new boss finds himself at the helm amid turbulent times for Britain's "big four" supermarket chains, battered by the impact of German discounters Aldi and Lidl - with profits warnings from Tesco and slumping earnings from Morrisons.
Mr Coupe said: "In the second quarter, our performance has been impacted by the accelerated pace of change in the grocery market, including significant pricing activity and food price deflation in many areas.
"These conditions are likely to persist for the foreseeable future and we now expect our like-for-like sales in the second half of the year to be similar to the first half."
He said the supermarket would provide a detailed strategic update at the time of its interim results announcement on November 12.
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