Supermarket chain Sainsbury's enjoyed record trading over Christmas and New Year as customers flocked to its stores, the group has revealed.

Chief executive Sir Peter Davis said more Christmas products at the chain, which has six outlets across the county, helped to pull in shoppers and boost the amount spent at the tills.

Sales in the six weeks to January 5 were 6.8 per cent ahead of the same period a year earlier on a like-for-like basis, excluding petrol. The surge meant Sainsbury's achieved like-for-like sales growth, which does not include income from new stores, of 6.4 per cent in the third quarter of the financial year.

Sir Peter said the showing was a significant improvement over the firm's performance in Christmas 2000 and continued the revival in the business.

Sainsbury's said it had now enjoyed four successive quarters of increasingly strong like-for-like growth in the UK.

The update comes after it emerged about 100 store manager jobs at the chain are under threat after the group launched a sweeping performance review.

About one-fifth of bosses have been picked out for closer scrutiny as Sainsbury's steps up its three-year recovery plan under Sir Peter as it bids to make £150m of savings.

Sir Peter said it was highly unlikely that as many as 100 jobs would go as a result of the review.

"This is something we have done from time to time to coax managers to perform better," he said.

"Some will retire, some will be offered lesser jobs, running a smaller store and some may leave the company."

Retail group GUS reported a festive surge in sales across its Argos catalogue stores.

Like-for-like sales during the 14 weeks to January 5 jumped 14 per cent, with demand for furniture, toys and consumer electronics leading the hike.