"It is very possible that Sainsbury could be entering a sustained period of like-for-like (sales) outperformance," Morgan Stanley analysts said in a research note. Sainsbury, with more than 500 supermarkets and over 275 convenience stores, said sales at shops open at least a year rose 6.2 percent excluding fuel in the 11 weeks to March 21, the final quarter of its financial year. That was up from 4.5 percent in the third quarter and beat analysts average forecast of 5.5 percent in a Reuters poll. Sainsbury estimated the extra footfall associated with Comic Relief added 0.3 percentage points to sales. The biennial appeal has raised almost 60 million pounds ($88 million) and King said Sainsbury, the events biggest corporate partner, contributed "a significant amount" by buying merchandise and donating profits on their sale.