Premium department store House of Fraser (HOF) has posted the strongest ever Christmas trading period in its history.

The retailer, which employs almost 19,500 staff, posted a like-for-like sales surge of 7.3 per cent for the three weeks to 28 December 2013.

Its branded fashion offer, which includes Armani, Hobbs and Dune, makes up about two-thirds of total sales and was almost 10 per cent up over the festive period. Its Glasgow store was the strongest performer with sales surging 10.6 per cent.

In-store sales rose 3 per cent but the majority of growth was driven by online.

There was a 57.7 per cent surge in online shopping at HOF as beauty sales rose a record-breaking 77 per cent.

John King, CEO said the performance demonstrated the success of its strategy to continuously improve its online proposition. He said the retailer would continue to invest into its stores to give customers the best shopping experience possible.

He said: “We are delighted with our Christmas trading and are pleased to report another record performance despite a more competitive environment.”