Tesco is 'back on form', according to CEO Philip Clarke, after the retailer delivered a 1.8 per cent increase in like-for-like sales over the six weeks to 5 January, its strongest rate of growth for three years.
Online was a key factor in Tesco's success over Christmas, with online food sales up by 18 per cent. Total group sales for the UK grew by 4.3 per cent, excluding petrol, for the period.
Clarke says that over half a million food orders were made online in the week before Christmas day, with nearly five per cent of those then picked up using Click & Collect.
Clarke said: 'I am pleased with our performance over the important Christmas and New Year period in the UK, which reflects the progress we are making in improving our offer for customers.
'This performance was driven by a further improvement in our food business in store and a strong contribution from online.'
Meanwhile,Tesco's international business also improved over the period with totalinternational sales growth of 3.4 per cent (2.6 per cent at actual exchange rates).
Despite Tesco revealing it was conducting a strategic review of its Fresh & Easy chain in the US after disappointing results last year, total sales for the operation were up by 4.1 per cent in the same period.
However, the retailer confirmed that there will be an update on the progress of the review at its preliminary results in April, with many industry analysts predicting it may still close down the Fresh & Easy chain.
