Tesco upbeat on Christmas trade

British retailer Tesco met forecasts today with a 5

British retailer Tesco met forecasts today with a 5.6 per cent rise in third-quarter sales, excluding fuel, and said it was optimistic about the key Christmas trading period.

The supermarket group said group sales rose 9.6 per cent in the 13 weeks to November 25th, or 10.3 per cent, excluding fuel.

International sales were up 17.9 per cent at constant exchange rates.

Strategy and finance director Andrew Higginson said Tesco was "looking good" moving into the final four weeks of crucial Christmas trading.

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Tesco employs around 11,800 people in Ireland at its 93 outlets.