Morrisons has recorded the best Christmas trading figures of Britain’s four biggest supermarkets boosted by festive promotions and low prices.
Sales at shops open at least a year, excluding fuel, rose 8.2 per cent in the six weeks to January 4, marginally above analysts expectations.
These figures may further boost its market share although some analysts believe discounting from Tesco may counter this. Morrisons said its full-year profit expectations remain unchanged.
It is UK's fourth-biggest supermarket chain behind Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s and currently serves about 10 million shoppers a week from 382 stores.
Morrisons chief executive, Marc Bolland, said: "I am pleased with Morrisons excellent Christmas trading, having attracted 2.2 million extra customers with great fresh food and industry leading value".
Morrisons has been benefiting in the economic downturn from its reputation for low prices, as well as promotions such as a voucher offering shoppers 20 pounds off if they spent more than 40 pounds in four of the five weeks before Christmas.
Its performance compares with a 2.5 per cent rise in underlying UK sales posted by Tesco for the seven weeks to January 10 and a 4.5 per cent rise reported Sainsbury’s for the 13 weeks to January 3.
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