Morrisons has continued to outshine its rivals by reporting strong Christmas sales, despite its apparent trouble at the top.
The retailer is going through a transitory period as it searches for a new chief executive, but sales for the Christmas trading period jumped 6.5 per cent compared with a year earlier.
The supermarket said the like-for-like sales hike, excluding fuel, came after stores attracted a record number of customers over the six weeks to 3 January.
The Bradford-based retailer beat Tesco’s reported 4.9 per cent sales and the 4.2 per cent posted by Sainsbury's, with Asda yet to report its festive numbers.
But Morrisons added a note of caution, saying the market will remain "challenging" in 2010. It is believed its continued growth is largely due to the turnaround plan instigated by Marc Bolland, the former ceo who has left for Marks & Spencer and is currently on gardening leave.
Morrisons said it is in talks with Bolland over his official departure date as he is locked into a year's notice period until November, but negotiations are ongoing over an early exit "compromise agreement", according to the group.
Morrisons chairman Sir Ian Gibson said plans to replace Bolland are "progressing well".
Finance director Richard Pennycook, who is widely tipped to fill the vacancy, said of the results: "Consumers have enjoyed their Christmas, but I don't think it's going to change the fact that value will continue to be at the forefront.”
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