Feb 22 - Asda, the British arm of U.S. retailer Wal-Mart, reported an acceleration in sales growth in the fourth quarter, boosted by a strong performance from its premium own-label brands in the run up to Christmas.

Asda (photo by TFoxton)

The second-biggest supermarket chain behind Tesco, which runs mostly out-of-town stores, said on Tuesday sales at shops open over a year rose 1.6 percent, excluding fuel sales, in the last three months of 2010.

That followed a 1.3 percent increase in the third quarter.

(Reporting by Matthew Scuffham and Isabel Coles; Editing by Julie Crust)