Dixons Retail, which owns the Currys and PC world chains has reported a strong performance over Christmas, its second consecutive year of strong growth in the key selling period.
In the UK and Ireland, the group saw like-for-like sales rise 5%, with market share gains and a particularly strong post-Christmas period. Meanwhile, its multichannel offering was boosted by internet sales, which grew by 23%.
In Northern Europe, like-for-like sales were up 2%, trading ahead of its competitors and total sales growth in Greece was up 3%, driven by a successful performance in its wholesale business.
Sebastian James, group chief executive, commented: "This has been a lively Christmas with plenty of ups and downs and I am pleased to report that we have turned in a good performance. We have consolidated last year's strong gains and I am confident that we have gained further market share.
“In the UK & Ireland, the "Black Friday" weekend was remarkably busy, but was followed by a somewhat quieter couple of weeks as we approached Christmas Day. From Boxing Day, the business took off like a rocket - in fact, Boxing Day itself was the biggest in Dixons' UK history with more than £100,000 flowing through our tills every minute.
“These are good numbers, but I am mindful that what recovery there is in the UK is still fledgling, and we continue to plan accordingly. We have some very strong comparables in the fourth quarter and, with a later Easter as well, I expect performance in the remainder of our financial year to be more modest than the year to date. However, with great service and fantastic value in our stores and online I think all our businesses can continue to outperform our competitors in each of their markets."