Sainsbury's has its best ever online Christmas

Overall web sales up 27 per cent during latest financial quarter

Sainsbury's had a good Christmas

Sainsbury's achieved a record number of online orders in the week before Christmas, according to the retailer's chief executive Justin King.

The company bucked the trend for downbeat high street sales by announcing a 3.9 per cent increase in like-for-like sales during its third quarter - which includes the festive trading period.

Overall online sales were up 27 per cent year on year during the three months to 3 January.

King said that Sainsbury’s achieved its best ever Christmas performance.

"The economic environment remains particularly challenging and we expect this to continue in 2009, however our continued investment in price and promotions along with universal appeal and a wide customer base means we are well positioned to continue our good progress," he said.