Marks & Spencer has reported that its like-for-like sales rose by 6.8% over the three months to April, well ahead of market expectations.
The UK's largest retailer said like-for-sales in general merchandise, such as clothing, were up 8.2%. Like-for-like figures strip out the effects of new store openings and expansions.
A general slowdown in consumer spending since January has harmed sales at chief rival Next, but M&S appears to have come through relatively unscathed.
M&S said like-for-like sales in food rose 5.6% while pre-tax profits for the current financial year were expected to be in the range of £745m to £755m.
Chief executive Stuart Rose, who was parachuted into the hot seat after Bhs owner Philip Green launched a £9 billion takeover campaign in the summer of 2004, is widely credited for masterminding the recovery in the retailer.
