Ted Baker enjoys Christmas boost

The designer clothing group Ted Baker has joined the ranks of retailers who enjoyed a big rise on sales in the run-up to Christmas.

Sales jumped by 24.7% in the period between 1 November and 24 December, with both men¿s and womenswear doing well.

"We had great collections. Men's and women's casualwear performed very well and gave us a good backdrop. All the main elements of the ranges did well," said finance director Lindsey Page.

Margins were slightly below last year, which was put down to the company's store expansion programme.

The group currently has 18 shops, and is looking to open a flagship London store, and to expand in the US.

Ted Baker will report full-year results in March when it is expected to post pre-tax profits of about £9.7m, up from £8.2m the previous year.