Marks & Spencer has announced its food sales have returned to a positive like-for-like growth following six quarters of improvement.
M&S said UK like-for-like sales, which exclude the impact of new store openings, rose 0.9% over the 52 weeks.
Sales of general merchandise, which includes clothes, increased 1.6%, while food sales were up 0.3%.
M&S chairman, Sir Stuart Rose, said: “Marks & Spencer has had a good year. We have improved performance in all core areas, demonstrating the resilience of the M&S brand. We took action to guide M&S through the recession without losing sight of what matters most to our customers – quality and value.
“In food, we returned to positive like-for-like growth for the first time in two years as we improved our value and innovation while maintaining our unrivalled quality.
“With the worst effects of the recession behind us, strong foundations in place, and our core values intact, I am confident that M&S is well set for growth under Marc’s direction.”
