M&S clothing sales hammered by lockdowns in Christmas quarter By Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Marks & Spencer on Friday reported another big fall in clothing and homewares sales in its Christmas quarter, hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic hitting demand and restrictions to stem the virus closing stores.

Marks & Spencer (M&S), one of the best known names in UK retail, said revenue in its clothing and home division slumped 25.1% in the 13 weeks to Dec. 26, its fiscal third quarter, having fallen 21.3% in the previous quarter.

Food sales were up 2.2%, having increased 1.6% in the second quarter.