Tesco and John Lewis have emerged as festive winners after recording a rise in sales over Christmas - but Marks & Spencer and Debenhams both reported falls.
M&S said today it had a 2.4 per cent fall in like-for-like clothing and home sales over its Christmas quarter to December 29, while food sales dropped 2.1 per cent.
Like-for-like sales at Debenhams were down 3.4 per cent over the Christmas period as it saw gross transactions fall 3.8 per cent in the six weeks to January 5.
However, Tesco has reported a 2.2 per cent rise in UK like-for-like sales over the festive period as the supermarket unveiled Christmas trading figures.
And the John Lewis Partnership said its sales rose 1.4 per cent to £2.2billion in the seven weeks to January 5, but it still expected full-year profits to fall substantially.
Tesco has reported a 2.2 per cent rise in UK like-for-like sales over the festive period as the supermarket unveiled Christmas trading figures
Tesco posted a rise in like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 5, outperforming the wider market in all key categories - food, clothing and general merchandise.
The retailer enjoyed its strongest rate of growth in Britain since December 2009 - and had its biggest UK sales day on record on Sunday, December 23 last year.
Across both the UK and Ireland, comparable sales were up 2.6 per cent. Tesco said its 'Festive 5' Christmas vegetable offer proved particularly popular with customers.
John Lewis annual staff bonus is under threat
The John Lewis Partnership has warned that its annual staff bonus is under threat as it battles challenging trading conditions.
In a Christmas trading update, the department store chain saw like-for-like sales rise 1 per cent in the seven weeks to January 5.
Comparable sales at sister chain Waitrose rose 0.3 per cent.
Chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said: 'Two main factors are affecting the retail sector - oversupply of physical space and relatively weak consumer demand.
'We continue to expect full-year total partnership profits to be substantially lower this year, driven by slower sales growth over the year and margin pressure in John Lewis & Partners along with higher costs, mainly as a result of our continued investment in our IT capability.
'The board will need to consider carefully in March, following the usual process, whether payment of a bonus is prudent in the light of business and economic prospects at that time.'
This sold 19.7 million units over the three weeks to Christmas. Promotions on lamb and beef joints also helped drive sales.
For the third quarter as a whole, Tesco recorded comparable UK sales growth of 0.7 per cent, down from 2.5 per cent in the previous three months - but the 12th consecutive period of positive figures nonetheless.
Over the 19 weeks to January 5, the supermarket saw like-for-like sales grow 1.2 per cent in the UK.
Chief executive Dave Lewis said: 'As a team we have achieved a lot in the last 19 weeks. In the UK we delivered significant improvements in our competitive offer and this is reflected in a very strong Christmas performance which was ahead of the market.'
The results come amid a difficult time for the retail sector, as consumer confidence takes a knock from Brexit worries.
Supermarkets are battling rising costs and fierce competition in the sector as Lidl and Aldi continue their relentless march.
As part of efforts to position the supermarket to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing market, Mr Lewis has forked out £3.7billion to acquire cash-and-carry business Booker and launched Jack's, a discount chain that will supposedly rival the German discounters.
Booker like-for-like sales shot up 6.7 per cent over Christmas.
Mr Lewis added: 'We have more to do everywhere, but remain bang on track to deliver our plans for the year - and as we enter our centenary, we are in a strong position.'
Tesco's update is the latest from the so-called Big Four supermarkets, which also includes Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.
Marks & Spencer has reported a 2.4 per cent fall in like-for-like clothing and home sales over its Christmas quarter to December 29, while food sales dropped 2.1 per cent
Morrisons reported strong figures on Tuesday, while Sainsbury's, which is attempting to merge with Asda, posted a poor set of results yesterday.
Worst festive trading for retailers since the 2008 financial crisis
Retailers suffered the worst Christmas since 2008 and the financial crisis, a leading index has found, as even frantic discounting failed to lure shoppers in December.
Sales growth flatlined last month, showing 0 per cent growth year-on-year, according to the closely followed British Retail Consortium-KPMG retail sales monitor.
Last Christmas, the index registered total sales growth of 1.4 per cent year-on-year, but retailers were unable to keep up that pace this time around, even with heavy price cuts.
On a same-store basis, UK retail sales slipped 0.7 per cent, compared with a 0.6 per cent uplift in December 2017.
BRC boss Helen Dickinson put it down to shoppers being more cautious about how they spent their money in the uncertain run-up to Brexit, and warned that things could get worse for retailers in 2019.
At Debenhams, comparable sales in the UK were 3.6 per cent lower than last year due to weak store footfall.
Debenhams has unveiled declining sales over Christmas, but said it is still on track to deliver on profit expectations.
The high street retailer saw like-for-like sales dip by 3.4 per cent in the six weeks to January 5, weighed down by the UK where sales were 3.6 per cent lower due to weaker footfall.
But the group defied predictions from the City that it would issue a profit warning over the period.
Digital sales rose 6 per cent in the period, despite a slower start to the peak shopping season.
Chief executive Sergio Bucher said the results were the 'best possible outcome' in an uncertain time for retailers.
The company warned that the UK trading environment is still 'volatile', with savvy consumers actively seeking out discounts.
This will result in some erosion of the retailer's profit margin in the first half, after it slashed prices to keep up with competitors.
Mr Bucher said: 'We responded to a significant increase in promotional activity in the market, particularly in key seasonal categories, in order to remain competitive for our customers.
'We have taken decisive steps to maintain rigorous cost and capital discipline, and I am grateful to my colleagues for their hard work as we maintain a rapid pace of change.'
Debenhams has embarked on a major strategic shift, including the shuttering of 50 outlets and the launch of a new store design concept.
Like-for-like sales at Debenhams were down 3.4 per cent over the Christmas period
The company said today that the new format stores had outperformed other sites, with the strongest sales increase at Stevenage.
Marks & Spencer has insisted it is seeing 'encouraging early signs' despite further falls in clothing and food sales over its Christmas quarter.
The retail bellwether said like-for-like clothing and home sales dropped 2.4 per cent over the 13 weeks to December 29 while comparable food sales fell 2.1 per cent.
Total clothing and home sales fell by 4.8 per cent as it was knocked by a raft of store closures under its overhaul.
The group said while unusually warm weather and falling consumer confidence made for a 'very challenging' November, overall trading in its third quarter was 'steady with some early encouraging signs'.
M&S also confirmed it remained on track for its full-year profit guidance.
Chief executive Steve Rowe said: 'Against the backdrop of well-publicised difficult market conditions, our performance remained steady across the period.
'Our food business traded successfully over Christmas as customers responded to improved value. Our transformation programme remains on track.'
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News Pictures Marks & Spencer reports a 2.1 per cent drop in food sales over the Christmas period
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