Socks and knickers seller Marks and Spencer saw group sales, excluding value added tax (VAT), rise 2.4% from a year earlier in the final 13 weeks of 2011. Total UK sales excluding VAT were up 1.8%, despite a 0.8% decline in General Merchandise sales; Food sales were up 4.5% year-on-year.
As for the all-important like-for-like sales comparisons, overall, the UK stores were up 0.5%, with General Merchandise down 1.8% but Food up 3.0%.
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