//
In a trading update, the supermarket chain said that like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 3rd were up 6.5 per cent excluding fuel.
This was ahead of the statistics already posted by Tesco and Sainsbury's and is likely to exceed Asda's transactions, Reuters reports.
However, the news was not enough to prompt a rise in Morrisons shares, which were 4.3p lower in stock market trading at 11:20 GMT, taking them to 294.5p.
Sir Ian Gibson, chairman of the company, said it had enjoyed "another strong Christmas" adding: "We look forward to further progress in the coming year".
The board added that it is not altering its expectations for the current 12-month period and warned that the retail market is still "challenging" due to the present economic climate affecting consumer spending.
Posted by Greg Secker
