Supermarket chain Morrisons has released its sales figures for the Christmas trading period, showing a 2.9% increase in like-for-like sales. This marks the biggest rise in the 9-week period up to January 1st for seven years, due in part to the strong performance of both their Nutmeg clothing range and upmarket Best range. Chief executive of the company, David Potts, attributed this success to the stores being better prepared to meet the demands of the holiday period than in previous years. Following the release of the figures, shares in the retailer rose 4% on the FTSE 100, contributing to the rise of the index to a record high of 7260.