Glasgow helps House of Fraser bag record Christmas

Record sales at its Glasgow branch have helped House of Fraser (HoF) deliver its best ever Christmas trading as shoppers made a last-minute dash to the high street.

House of Fraser also owns Edinburgh landmark store Jenners. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

The retailer, which has 61 stores across the UK and Ireland, also said it enjoyed a record increase in takings over the internet after slashing its prices by up to 50 per cent over the festive season.

HoF’s like-for-like sales for the three weeks to 28 December were 7.3 per cent higher than a year earlier, driven by a record performance in Glasgow, where sales jumped 10.6 per cent. Takings at its flagship Oxford Street store in London were 6.9 per cent higher than last year, while online sales leapt 57.7 per cent.

Chief executive John King said the peak trading came late in the season, “however, it was the best we have ever recorded”. King added that the retailer, which also owns Edinburgh institution Jenners, is on track to grow its full-year profits.

HoF, founded in Glasgow in 1849, counts Scottish retail entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter among its shareholders. The chain is understood to have held talks over a possible takeover by French peer Galeries Lafayette.