Marks and Spencer has reported solid Christmas trading for the 13 weeks to 27 December, with total sales surging 24.2% to £4.99 billion.

This was driven by strong food sales which grew 6.6% to £2.7bn with like-for-like growth of 5.6%, achieving a record market share of 4%.

Fashion, Home & Beauty sales saw a slight decrease of 2.5% to £1.27bn, with like-for-like sales down 2.9%, though online performance improved.

International sales rose 0.9% to £158 million, and Ocado Retail sales increased by 13.7%. The company maintained its full-year guidance, focusing on accelerating its reshaping strategy with continued investment in value, quality, and customer experience.

Tesco

Tesco said results group like-for-like sales increased by 3.1% in Q3 and 2.4% over the Christmas period, resulting in a 2.9% rise for the combined 19 weeks.

The UK saw like-for-like sales growth of 3.9% in Q3 and 3.2% at Christmas, contributing to the highest UK market share in over a decade.

Online sales grew by 11.2%, and the company now expects full-year adjusted operating profit to be at the upper end of its £2.9bn to £3.1bn guidance range.

Greggs

Fast food chain Greggs posted a fourth quarter sales increase of 7.4% and said it expects its full-year outcome to be in line with previous expectations.

It anticipates significantly reduced capital expenditure in 2026 following peak investment in its supply chain.

Company-managed shop like-for-like saw sales growth of 2.9%, contributing to full-year 2025 total sales of £2.15 billion, up 6.8% from 2024, with like-for-like sales up 2.4%.

Despite challenging market conditions, Greggs gained market share, opened 121 net shops in 2025 bringing the total to 2,739, and plans for around 120 net openings in 2026.

See also

Shopping malls enjoy footfall surge