Tesco has secured its highest UK market share in more than a decade and M&S saw record customer numbers after bumper trading results over Christmas.
Supermarket giant Tesco this morning revealed a 3.7% lift in like-for-like sales in the UK across Q3 and Christmas, which covers the 13 weeks to 22 November 2025 and the six weeks to 3 January 2026.
Its UK stores outperformed central Europe, which saw only a 1% rise over the same period.
Tesco also brought it 28,500 additional staff for the Christmas period.
Ken Murphy, Tesco chief executive, said: "I am delighted with the strong Christmas we delivered for our customers. Our investments in value, quality and service drove further gains in customer satisfaction and strong growth in fresh food, contributing to our highest UK market share in over a decade.
"In addition to further strengthening our price position, we launched 340 new and improved own-brand Christmas products including 180 in Finest, which once again delivered double-digit sales growth. We also recruited 28,500 additional colleagues for the festive period and offered an extra 100,000 online delivery slots in the week before Christmas, enabled by AI-powered scheduling tools developed by our technology and logistics teams. Online sales grew double-digit and Whoosh also performed strongly, with more than 250,000 new customers over the period.
"Competition is as intense as ever and we know value remains a priority for customers. We are determined to help customers make their money go further, and earlier this week expanded our Everyday Low Prices commitment to over 3,000 branded products, sitting alongside Aldi Price Match on more than 650 lines and thousands of exclusive offers through Clubcard Prices.
"I would like to thank all our colleagues for the exceptional service they have given to our customers over this important period; this has been a real team effort. We are well positioned for the year ahead and remain committed to ensuring customers get the best possible value by shopping at Tesco."
Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer also benefited from a strong performance over the festive period, with like-for-like food sales up 5.6% in the 13 weeks to 27 December.
Stuart Machin, M&S chief executive, said: "A record number of customers shopped M&S this Christmas. From the festive food shop, to picking up party outfits and gifts, millions more trusted M&S to deliver the family Christmas.
"Food sales were strong and the business continues to outperform, hitting a new market share milestone in the period. We are the UK's fastest growing grocer for families, reflecting our investment in value and core family staples, and demonstrating progress in our journey to become a shopping list retailer.
"Fashion, Home & Beauty is getting back on track as we work through the tail end of recovery. Sales overall were slightly down but online performance continued to improve as digital sales recovered. We planned a bigger Sale this year, with strong sell-through already making way for our new season lines.
"We enter this new calendar year full of ambition and laser focused on our plan to reshape M&S for further growth. In Food, we have even more first to market innovation coming and further investment in quality and price. And in Fashion, our new season ranges are resonating well with customers as we double down on value, quality and style.
"I'd like to thank our customers for shopping with us, our colleagues for all their hard work, and wish everyone a happy and healthy 2026. We are looking forward with confidence."
FTSE100
The UK's flagship share index, the FTSE 100, was down 79 points at 10,026 shortly after opening this morning.
Brent crude oil futures were down 0.45% at $60.04 a barrel.
Companies reporting
Greggs* - Q4 Trading Statement
Marks and Spencer* - Christmas Trading Statement
Tesco* - Q3 Trading Statement