UPDATE 1-Tesco reports 0.1% rise in UK Christmas sales

Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, ground out a 0.1% rise in underlying sales in its home market during what it said was a "subdued" Christmas for consumer spending.

Showing how hard supermarkets had to work over the festive period, Tesco said it had outperformed its rivals after enjoying the biggest ever day of UK food sales in its history, which helped it secure the tiny rise in organic growth. Industry data published on Tuesday showed Britain's supermarkets recorded the lowest sales growth over the Christmas trading period for five years, reflecting intense competition and sustained consumer uncertainty which deterred shoppers from splashing out.

The group, which has a 27.4% share of Britain's grocery market, also updated on trading in the third quarter period before Christmas, when like-for-like sales fell by 0.4%. That showed that shoppers had returned to their stores for Christmas. "In a subdued UK market we performed well, delivering our fifth consecutive Christmas of growth," Chief Executive Dave Lewis said.

The group said it had not taken any decision regarding the future of its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia.