JOHANNESBURG, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Shoprite Holdings SHPJ.J, South Africa’s biggest supermarket retailer, said on Tuesday its half-year sales from continuing operations grew by 9.6%, as both upmarket and discount customers stocked up on food during the festive season.

Shoprite, with more than 2,700 stores excluding OK Franchise across 10 countries, said sales in the six-month period ended Dec. 29 came in at 128.6 billion rand ($6.84 billion).

The group’s core business, Supermarkets South Africa, contributing 83.7% to group sales, achieved sales growth of 10.4%, with like-for-like sales growth of 6.1%.

Shoprite’s rest of Africa supermarkets business, which operates in nine countries, saw a 4.1% increase in sales.

In the three-month quarter ended December, which included the Christmas and Black Friday period, Shoprite saw sales grow by 8.7%.

($1 = 18.8013 rand)

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)