M&S Christmas trade boosts sales - chairman

British clothes-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer said yesterday its sales rose during the group's third quarter due to a brisk Christmas trading period.

M&S sales rose by 2.6 per cent in the 13 weeks to Boxing Day last year, the group said in a statement. Sales climbed by 2.3 per cent in Britain, by six per cent in stores abroad and by 32 per cent online.

"We had a good Christmas, continuing the improvements seen throughout 2009," M&S chairman Stuart Rose said in the statement.

"In food, we had our biggest ever Christmas fortnight, with record one day sales of over £50 million on December 23.

"In general merchandise, sales of knitwear, sleepwear and footwear were particularly strong. Over Christmas, customers bought more than 36 million mince pies, a million bottles of champagne and over eight million jumpers and cardigans."

However, total sales at stores open at least a year - a measure tracked by financial markets - increased by only 0.8 per cent during the company's third quarter. Analysts' consensus forecast had been for an increase of 1.2 per cent, according to Dow Jones Newswires. Rose said that the company expected "trading conditions over the coming year to remain challenging as a result of continuing economic uncertainty".

Britain is the last major economy officially in recession but data due later this month is expected to show that the nation returned to growth in the fourth quarter of 2009.