M&S delivered “another good Christmas” as sales surpassed £4bn, driven by strong trading momentum in its food business, which recorded its “biggest ever day” for sales.

For the 13 weeks to 28 December 2024, the retailer saw total group sales rise by 5.6% to £4.06bn, while food sales jumped 8.7% to £2.5bn.

From the first half into the Christmas trading period M&S sustained UK volume growth of 6.6% driven by increased customers numbers and transactions and was the top performing store-based grocery retailer in volume and value over the period, according to Kantar data.

The supermarket said that sales growth in food continued to be driven by investment in quality and value, with 500 new lines added in the period and sales of new Christmas products growing by 14%.

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Across core categories, meat, produce, grocery and in-store bakery grew double-digits, while its ‘Remarksable’ value range delivered a 14% rise in sales.

The grocer also saw a strong performance from innovation and quality upgrades in areas such as Gastropub.

M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said: “This was another good Christmas for M&S, building on a strong performance in the prior year. Sales records were broken across the business, with food recording its biggest day, but we’re not complacent – as a growth business it’s our job to break records.

“There were a few growing pains as we delivered our biggest ever volumes, particularly in smaller stores, reaffirming the opportunity to accelerate transformation of the food supply chain and go even faster on store renewal and rotation.”

Looking ahead, he said the external environment “remains challenging with cost and economic headwinds to navigate”.

In 2025, M&S’ outlook for economic growth, inflation and interest rates is “uncertain” as it will face higher costs from increases in taxation.

However, Machin added that “there is much within our control”, as the business is “confident” of making further progress in the remainder of the financial year.

He added: “At M&S, we stay close to our customers and their needs, and with that in mind our investment in trusted value, along with great quality, style and innovation remains our priority.”