Tesco and Marks & Spencer toast bumper Christmas season

Marks and Spencer's slick Christmas advert grabbed the eye of buyers with a glamorous 'Mrs Claus' delivering presents to kids.

And their intelligent advertising appears to have paid off after the chain reported bumper gross sales over the festive season.

The excessive road retailer mentioned gross sales in its clothes and residential division rose 2.three% within the 13 weeks to December 31 - the primary development since 2015.

Their outcomes got here on an excellent day for British retail, with Tesco additionally notching up a 1.eight% rise in third quarter gross sales and mentioned figures within the six weeks to January 7 rose by zero.7%.

M&S's advert with Janet McTeer seems to have paid off after they recorded a gross sales improve

After launching the advert within the build-up to Christmas, gross sales elevated by greater than 2%

John Lewis shops reported a 2.7% rise in like-for-like gross sales over the Christmas buying and selling interval, whereas Waitrose noticed a 2.eight% improve within the six weeks to December 31.

However bosses on the John Lewis Partnership, which runs each of the chains, say workers bonus are anticipated to be 'considerably decrease' on account of a tough 12 months forward.

M&S had introduced in Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper - whose movies embrace The King's Speech, Les Miserables and The Damned United - and Olivier Award-winning actress Janet McTeer as Mrs Claus for his or her advert. 

The advert confirmed Mrs Claus waving off her husband on Christmas Eve earlier than she setting out on her personal James Bond type secret mission to ship a gift to a six-year-old boy who desires to make his sister's Christmas additional particular. 

The corporate noticed large gross sales of the pink per una costume used within the advert, with greater than 5,000 bought across the nation and a few shops promoting out.

After reporting gross sales will increase immediately, M&S chief government Steve Rowe mentioned 'higher ranges, higher availability and higher costs' helped gross sales recuperate.

The hike got here after a dismal efficiency a 12 months earlier and it was boosted by the additional buying and selling days over the festive season.

The shop additionally posted a zero.6% rise in like-for-like gross sales throughout its meals halls over the festive quarter.

However the group mentioned round 1.5% of the overall clothes and residential gross sales will increase got here from the additional buying and selling days, which additionally boosted meals gross sales by round zero.three%.

Christmas buyers defied gloomy predictions with many shops reporting gross sales will increase

Tesco has additionally reported a 3rd quarter gross sales rise and a rise within the six weeks to January 7

Sainsbury's yesterday revealed it raked in over £1billion value of gross sales over the Christmas interval from 30million buyer transactions.

Low cost grocery store Lidl in the meantime mentioned it loved a 10 per cent rise in whole gross sales in December, marking its finest Christmas efficiency ever. 

Shops had been helped by Christmas falling on a Sunday this 12 months, that means there have been successfully 5 additional buying and selling days for patrons to get out and spend their cash.

This shops' gross sales figures had been launched as Financial institution of England governor Mark Carney mentioned Brexit is not his high concern and the EU now has most to lose from it.

Tesco mentioned it noticed significantly good development throughout its core Christmas grocery and recent ranges, together with a 24% improve in celebration meals gross sales and an 18% rise in Free From gross sales.

John Lewis noticed a rise in gross sales over the festive season however is more likely to lower workers bonuses

Chief government Dave Lewis mentioned the agency, which was embroiled in a furore over an inflation-linked rise within the value of Marmite final 12 months, is working 'shoulder to shoulder' with suppliers to assist mitigate the impression of the collapse within the worth of the pound.

He mentioned: 'Inflation stress is there, however we are going to preserve doing all the pieces we will to minimise the impression.'

The John Lewis Partnership mentioned that regardless of posting robust Christmas buying and selling figures and pencilling in an increase in income for the complete 12 months, a tough 12 months forward imply that workers bonuses will most likely be lower.

It mentioned in a buying and selling assertion: 'We now have determined to touch upon bonus implications at this stage as a result of the partnership's robust Christmas buying and selling, and the chance of upper reported income, danger overshadowing the significance the board is putting on the difficult market outlook, our dedication to take care of a powerful steadiness sheet and our dedication to accelerating our technique.

'The exact degree of the bonus can be determined as traditional in March, however, in view of those components, it's more likely to be considerably decrease than final 12 months.'

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