Tesco and Marks & Spencer have emerged as Christmas winners as shoppers flocked to their stores despite pressure on family finances (The Daily Mail). Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, and Marks & Spencer were both Christmas winners with stronger than expected sales helped by growth in online orders and high demand for festive treats (The Guardian). Tesco and Marks and Spencer have emerged as two of the winners from the crucial Christmas trading period as their range of premium foods drove strong sales (The Financial Times £).

Marks & Spencer has said it is winning shoppers from Waitrose as its chief executive declared a record number of customers bought groceries with the retailer over Christmas (The Telegraph £). Marks & Spencer has hailed its “best ever Christmas” as customers flocked back for cheaper than expected everyday food items – and reliably affordable clothing – as the company made a concerted push for a bigger share of the weekly grocery shop (The Guardian).

Workers at Marks & Spencer are set to benefit from bumper payouts of thousands of pounds under its share save scheme as the high street stalwart reaps the rewards of its turnaround plan and toasts its “best ever Christmas”. (The Times £)

M&S feasts on a better future as its remarkable turnaround gathers pace, writes The Mail’s Alex Brummer. “M&S lost its status as the UK large scale retailer with the highest price-earnings ratio long ago. On current trends there is no reason to think it can’t be recaptured.” (The Daily Mail)

Vanity projects risk tripping up Marks & Spencer after remarkable resurgence, writes Ben Marlow in The Telegraph. Chairman Archie Norman’s assertion that for M&S to be here for another 100 years it ultimately has “to become a global brand” is one that will raise eyebrows, and may even be the cause of some sleepless nights. British retailers have a rotten track record when it comes to foreign forays. (The Telegraph £)

Annual profit expectations at Tesco have been given a boost by shoppers trading up to the grocer’s more expensive premium range over Christmas (The Times £). Tesco is on track for better-than-expected profits this year after enjoying record sales over the Christmas period (The Daily Mail). Tesco has raised its annual profit forecast while joining Marks and Spencer in reporting strong Christmas sales (Sky News).

The cost-of-living crisis may not yet be over despite inflation easing, the boss of Tesco has warned. (The Telegraph £)

Sales during the Christmas period at UK luxury food retailer Fortnum & Mason jumped almost a fifth as the refurbishment of its flagship London store helped boost the number of customers to record levels (The Financial Times £). The traditional Christmas shopping spree proved to be a boon for Fortnum & Mason, London’s oldest department store and a staple for many shoppers in the capital gift-hunting before the festive period (The Times £). Festive sales soared at Fortnum & Mason as a new look for its flagship store in London boosted customer numbers (The Daily Mail).

Fortnum & Mason is to double the amount of warehouse space it uses after a spike in orders over Christmas left the retailer “stretched to the limit”, its chief executive has said. (The Telegraph £)

The Times looks at Christmas retail winners and losers. With increasing competition and a cost of living crisis, it hasn’t been a cracking festive period for all retailers. (The Times £)

The bosses of two of Britain’s biggest retailers have warned that rising wage inflation will act as a significant drag on growth for businesses this year. (The Times £)

John Lewis Partnership has enticed Peter Ruis, its former fashion boss, to return in an attempt to revive the group’s department stores business (The Times £). John Lewis has hired the former boss of Jigsaw to kickstart a turnaround at the struggling department store chain (The Telegraph £, The Daily Mail). John Lewis is bringing back its former fashion boss Peter Ruis to lead the department store chain after more than a decade running retailers including Jigsaw and Anthropologie (The Guardian).

B&M’s value play at risk of wearing thin, writes The Times’ Tempus column. One of the biggest potential pitfalls is B&M’s lack of an online presence… Other threats include the discount market becoming oversaturated with competition and the big supermarkets fighting back. (The Times £)

Festive retail detail can offer good guidance for the year ahead, writes The FT’s Lex column. “Whatever the shares do at the start of the year has in the past been a better guide of what will happen in the rest of the year — and not just for the individual shares and for the sector more broadly… Those unable to offer a bargain may have suffered.” (The Financial Times £)

Food delivery company HelloFresh has been fined for sending millions of spam emails and texts to customers. (The BBC)

Why Home Office visa plans will be ‘nail in the coffin’ for UK hospitality. Rise in salary requirements will further fuel staff shortages in industry that relies on skilled migrant workers. (The Guardian)

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