Supermarkets continue to reap the benefits from our Christmas spending with two major retailers reporting record sales today.
Sainsbury’s said it witnessed Christmas sales of more than £1 billion across the group, adding that like-for-like sales increased 0.1 per cent in the 15 weeks to January 7. According to the BBC, this surpassed analyst expectations. It also emerged that Sainsbury’s Bank plans to start selling mortgages by early 2018.
Meanwhile, Lidl said it saw record sales over the Christmas period. In a sign that shoppers are visiting budget supermarkets to buy luxury items, Lidl said that lobsters were one of the best-sellers. The German chain said group sales increased 10 per cent during December.
Tax
Money Mail claims that HMRC officials are spying on eBay and Airbnb customers’ accounts to ‘obtain their names, addresses, bank account numbers and details of what they buy and sell online’.
Back in September, HM Revenue & Customs quietly acquired powers ‘which allow it to snoop on anyone who uses so-called marketplace websites that connect buyers and sellers’.
Trade
Sterling fell 0.5
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